Additional hard-hitting storms to take aim at southern US Sunday
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist &
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar 14, 2021 7:46 PM EDT
Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer was recording on March 13 as he drove straight through one of the multiple tornadoes that touched down in the northwest part of Texas.
Millions are under the threat of severe weather this weekend as a battle between winter and spring takes place on the Plains. A clash between warm and cold air, not uncommon for the month of March, has created the conditions needed for thunderstorms to turn severe through the weekend. This threat can even last into the beginning of the upcoming week.
The same storm system in the process of dumping feet of snow over portions of the Rocky Mountains has also set the stage for severe weather in the central and southern Plains.
The threat of stronger thunderstorms began on Friday as the storm system that had been slowly crawling over the Southwest and Rocky Mountains began to emerge over the Plains. Scattered thunderstorms began to develop Friday afternoon across southern Kansas, Oklahoma and into the Texas Panhandle. Severe thunderstorm warnings were first issued in Texas Friday afternoon, along with a few tornado warnings.
Around 5 p.m. CST on Friday, a possible tornado was spotted near Abernathy, Texas, a city that straddles Hale and Lubbock counties. The sighting was reflected in a preliminary tornado report from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. A second possible tornado was reported in Crosby, Texas, around 6 p.m. local time. In Hale County, Texas, hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter was reported around the same time.
"As the storm pivoted eastward on Saturday, it pulled in warm, moist air northward from the Gulf of Mexico. At the same time, dry and cooler air from the desert Southwest shifted eastward," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.
Reports of severe weather from Saturday. (AccuWeather)
When these opposite air masses collided on Saturday, it provided the necessary fuel for damaging thunderstorm development.
A tornado watch was issued in parts of Texas until 10 p.m. CST on Saturday by the National Weather Service.
Two tornados were confirmed near Lake Tanglewood and Palo Duro Canyon State Park around 4 p.m. CST on Saturday, with 80-85 mph winds captured on radar. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornadoes and advised people in the surrounding area to take cover.
Video from Nazareth, Texas, shows a tornado appearing to touchdown nearby on March 13. (Image via Storyful/Monty Hoetling)
Monty Hoetling Storyful
As the day progressed, a slew of tornado touch downs were reported in northwest Texas, specifically focused in the Texas panhandle. By 8 p.m. CST, the amount of tornado reports reached double digits.
Reports of hail stones up to the size of golf balls came in from the Armstrong, Texas, area while quarter-sized and even ping pong ball-sized hail was reported elsewhere across the state.
A new round of hard-hitting storms can develop in the lower Mississippi Valley later Sunday.
The threat for tornadoes, at this time, looks to be much lower on Sunday than it was on Saturday. However, AccuWeather forecasters caution residents of the area not to let their guard down.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"All it takes is one lone storm to pose great risk to lives and property," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
On Sunday, the threat from heavy thunderstorms is likely to shift eastward to include areas from southern Missouri to extreme northern Louisiana. The main severe weather threats on Sunday are likely to be heavy, drenching downpours and damaging winds.
"Powerful wind gusts in lieu of tornadoes and large hail can inflict a great deal of damage in some cases," Sosnowski said.
Travel along stretches of interstates 40 and 44 could be severely impeded at times as the storms sweep through, with drivers likely to experience sudden reductions in visibility and ponding of water on the roadways. Downed trees and power lines could block secondary roadways, and some communities could be left without power in the wake of the storms.
Farther north of the severe weather threats, heavy rainfall is expected to continue as a result of this slow-moving storm.
Persistent rounds of rain will continue across the central and southern Plains through Sunday. As of Saturday night, portions of Missouri have already picked up more than 7 inches of rain with another soaking expected on Sunday.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 11 inches is possible in this corridor should persistent downpours impact the same community.
With some rivers already running above flood stage in this corridor, the additional runoff could prolong the time it takes for water levels to recede and perhaps trigger new river flooding elsewhere.
Even in the absence of river flooding, motorists across portions of interstates 35, 44 and 70 could experience slowdowns due the downpours.
Drier air that sweeps in behind the storm by early this week will promote much calmer weather in the immediate wake of the storms for any necessary cleanup operations to take place. However, the risk for heavy, gusty and even isolated severe storms can shift east into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on Monday.
With the clash of cold weather to the north, and warm air coming northward from the Gulf of Mexico, more severe weather could target the mid-South at midweek.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Additional hard-hitting storms to take aim at southern US Sunday
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist & Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar 14, 2021 7:46 PM EDT
Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer was recording on March 13 as he drove straight through one of the multiple tornadoes that touched down in the northwest part of Texas.
Millions are under the threat of severe weather this weekend as a battle between winter and spring takes place on the Plains. A clash between warm and cold air, not uncommon for the month of March, has created the conditions needed for thunderstorms to turn severe through the weekend. This threat can even last into the beginning of the upcoming week.
The same storm system in the process of dumping feet of snow over portions of the Rocky Mountains has also set the stage for severe weather in the central and southern Plains.
The threat of stronger thunderstorms began on Friday as the storm system that had been slowly crawling over the Southwest and Rocky Mountains began to emerge over the Plains. Scattered thunderstorms began to develop Friday afternoon across southern Kansas, Oklahoma and into the Texas Panhandle. Severe thunderstorm warnings were first issued in Texas Friday afternoon, along with a few tornado warnings.
Around 5 p.m. CST on Friday, a possible tornado was spotted near Abernathy, Texas, a city that straddles Hale and Lubbock counties. The sighting was reflected in a preliminary tornado report from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. A second possible tornado was reported in Crosby, Texas, around 6 p.m. local time. In Hale County, Texas, hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter was reported around the same time.
"As the storm pivoted eastward on Saturday, it pulled in warm, moist air northward from the Gulf of Mexico. At the same time, dry and cooler air from the desert Southwest shifted eastward," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.
Reports of severe weather from Saturday. (AccuWeather)
When these opposite air masses collided on Saturday, it provided the necessary fuel for damaging thunderstorm development.
A tornado watch was issued in parts of Texas until 10 p.m. CST on Saturday by the National Weather Service.
Two tornados were confirmed near Lake Tanglewood and Palo Duro Canyon State Park around 4 p.m. CST on Saturday, with 80-85 mph winds captured on radar. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornadoes and advised people in the surrounding area to take cover.
Video from Nazareth, Texas, shows a tornado appearing to touchdown nearby on March 13. (Image via Storyful/Monty Hoetling)
As the day progressed, a slew of tornado touch downs were reported in northwest Texas, specifically focused in the Texas panhandle. By 8 p.m. CST, the amount of tornado reports reached double digits.
Reports of hail stones up to the size of golf balls came in from the Armstrong, Texas, area while quarter-sized and even ping pong ball-sized hail was reported elsewhere across the state.
A new round of hard-hitting storms can develop in the lower Mississippi Valley later Sunday.
The threat for tornadoes, at this time, looks to be much lower on Sunday than it was on Saturday. However, AccuWeather forecasters caution residents of the area not to let their guard down.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"All it takes is one lone storm to pose great risk to lives and property," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
On Sunday, the threat from heavy thunderstorms is likely to shift eastward to include areas from southern Missouri to extreme northern Louisiana. The main severe weather threats on Sunday are likely to be heavy, drenching downpours and damaging winds.
"Powerful wind gusts in lieu of tornadoes and large hail can inflict a great deal of damage in some cases," Sosnowski said.
Travel along stretches of interstates 40 and 44 could be severely impeded at times as the storms sweep through, with drivers likely to experience sudden reductions in visibility and ponding of water on the roadways. Downed trees and power lines could block secondary roadways, and some communities could be left without power in the wake of the storms.
Related:
Farther north of the severe weather threats, heavy rainfall is expected to continue as a result of this slow-moving storm.
Persistent rounds of rain will continue across the central and southern Plains through Sunday. As of Saturday night, portions of Missouri have already picked up more than 7 inches of rain with another soaking expected on Sunday.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 11 inches is possible in this corridor should persistent downpours impact the same community.
With some rivers already running above flood stage in this corridor, the additional runoff could prolong the time it takes for water levels to recede and perhaps trigger new river flooding elsewhere.
Even in the absence of river flooding, motorists across portions of interstates 35, 44 and 70 could experience slowdowns due the downpours.
Drier air that sweeps in behind the storm by early this week will promote much calmer weather in the immediate wake of the storms for any necessary cleanup operations to take place. However, the risk for heavy, gusty and even isolated severe storms can shift east into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on Monday.
With the clash of cold weather to the north, and warm air coming northward from the Gulf of Mexico, more severe weather could target the mid-South at midweek.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo