Real-time severe weather updates from May 20-21, 2019
A robust severe weather outbreak produced a high number of damaging tornadoes across the central U.S. from Monday into Tuesday night.
Violent and destructive tornadoes brought damage to several towns in Texas and Oklahoma, while other areas received damaging winds and large hail. In Wellington, Texas, hail the size of grapefruits (4 inches in diameter) was measured.
Over two dozen tornadoes were reported overall on the day.
Those dangerous storms continued to make their presence felt on Tuesday May 21, as flash flooding produced water rescues in Oklahoma while also causing travel impacts in states such as Missouri.
Click here for a full recap of the severe weather.
Scroll down to read an earlier listing of storm reports that began on Monday, May 20.
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12:15 a.m. CDT Wednesday:
Severe storms re-firing in parts of southwestern Iowa have prompted a tornado warning until 12:30 a.m. CDT for Hepburn.
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11:40 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
Severe thunderstorms are threatening to bring damaging winds and a possible tornado to areas near Olney and Robinson, Illinois.
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11:00 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
A tornado moved through a field near Lancaster, Kansas, on Tuesday evening. There have been no reported injuries thus far from this twister.
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10:40 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
In addition to producing damaging winds and tornadoes, Tuesday's storms have also resulted in an incredible number of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes.
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9:45 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
A tornado could be on the ground just to the north and west of Mount Vernon, Illinois, moving rapidly to the northeast. Take shelter immediately if you are in the path of this dangerous storm.
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8:42 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
A tornado crossed Highway 75 just south of Dawson, Nebraska, tonight in Richardson County. There are no reported injuries.
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7:50 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
Two confirmed tornadoes are on the ground in northeast Kansas moving into Nebraska and Missouri.
Weather spotters confirmed a tornado was located over Denton, Kansas. If you are near this area take shelter now!
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7:20 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
A tornado threat continues with this arc of supercells across far northeast Kansas, north of Topeka with one intensifying storm just to the northwest of Kansas.
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7:00 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
Officials will release excess water from Cheney Lake in Sedgwick County, Kansas, Wednesday morning. Cheney Lake is one of many reservoirs that are releasing water due to flood concerns.
Wichita, Kansas, is located in Sedgwick County.
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6:15 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
Large tornado possibly on the ground in Saint Charles County, Missouri. It is moving through the west-southwestern suburbs of Saint Louis.
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5:12 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
According to AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer a new confirmed tornado is between Milford and Fort Riley to the north of Junction City, Kansas.
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5:00 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
Near Atkins, in Pope County, Arkansas, a storage facility was damaged this afternoon and workers are in the process of attempting to rescue a woman from the damage.
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4:00 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
Several homes are damaged in Hartville, Missouri, due to a possible tornado that ripped through the area.
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3:22 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
A tornado is on the ground now near Ava, Missouri. If you are near this area, take cover now!
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2:58 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
Tornado reportedly on the ground right now west of Marshfield, Missouri, near I-44. Damage has been reported.
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1:20 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
The St. Louis Cardinals baseball game has been postponed to Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. CDT due to severe weather.
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1:15p.m. CDT Tuesday:
Flooding has caused temporary evacuations at three Post Offices in Kansas to nearby Post Offices.
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12:39 p.m. CDT Tuesday:
A number of water rescues have been reported throughout Oklahoma today as severe storms unleashed heavy rainfall through the morning.
The worst of the severe weather is over for Oklahoma and Texas today, although flooding will remain a concern in some areas.
Some parts of Kansas, northwestern Arkansas and central Missouri may still experience severe storms that could produce impacts such as damaging hail on Tuesday.
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11:21 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
Cleanup efforts are underway in Tulsa following the tornado and severe weather that lashed the area earlier this morning.
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11 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
There have been over 120,000 lightning strikes over the south-central U.S. over the past 24 hours.
This graphic shows the amount of lightning strikes across the south-central U.S. since around 12 p.m. EDT Monday. Each dot on the chart represents one single lightning strike.
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10:12 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
The Tulsa Fire Department responded to reports of damage and rescued a man who was trapped after a tree fell on his home. The man sustained minor injuries, according to the Tulsa Fire Department PIO Andrew Little.
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8:20 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
The city of Tulsa is confirming damage from the tornado that passed by the city's airport earlier today. The airport said on Twitter that there was "luckily" no damage and the flights should be resuming soon.
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6:46 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
At 6:37 a.m., a confirmed tornado was located over Tulsa International Airport, moving northeast at 50 mph.
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6 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
Flooding remains a significant concern around the Oklahoma City metro area. The NWS Norman office said there have been widespread reports of flooding on I-40.
Schools in El Reno, Oklahoma, will be closed due to flooding, district officials said.
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4:30 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
The line of storms currently bringing severe weather to parts of central Oklahoma will push into Missouri during the daylight hours on Tuesday, bringing more rain to areas already being impacted by widespread flash flooding.
Any additional rain on Tuesday will only exacerbate the ongoing flooding and trigger new flooding issues.
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4:15 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
A tornado warning is in effect just to the north and east of Norman, Oklahoma, until 4:45 a.m. CDT. If you are in the path of these storms, take shelter immediately!
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3:50 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
Between 3 and 6 inches of rain has already fallen across much of northern and northeastern Oklahoma, and another line of drenching thunderstorms is moving toward the region from central Oklahoma.
The rainfall has already resulted in major, to in some cases record, flooding on many streams and creeks around and to the north of Tulsa.
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3:00 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
Sperry Public Schools in Sperry, Oklahoma, have canceled classes on Tuesday on account of flooding. Flood and flash flood warnings remain in effect across an expansive area from southwestern Missouri to northern and northeastern Oklahoma into the mid-morning hours Tuesday.
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2:45 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
A tornado warning is in effect until 3:30 a.m. CDT for portions of Howell and Ozark counties in southern Missouri. Even if a tornado does not touch down, damaging wind gusts in excess of 70 mph will threaten to cause damage to trees, power lines and property.
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1:45 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
Heavy rain and thunderstorms continue to inundate the Leach and Peggs, Oklahoma, areas after a tornado produced significant damage in both communities Monday night. Flooding continues to be a major concern in the area.
Emergency responders are checking for injuries and attempting to assess and begin cleaning up the storm damage.
For previous storm reports, click here.
12:45 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
Trees are down and blocking roadways near Leach, Oklahoma, after a tornado ripped through the area Monday night.
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12:20 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
A tornado that tore through Peggs, Oklahoma, has damaged numerous buildings and mobile homes. One family was inside their mobile home when it was flipped and seriously damaged by the storm. Miraculously, none of the family members were injured.
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12:00 a.m. CDT Tuesday:
A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for Rolla, Missouri, and surrounding areas until 12:30 a.m. CDT Tuesday. This violent line of storms has a history of producing roof and property damage near Montreal, Missouri.
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11:15 p.m. CDT Monday:
Thunderstorms with torrential downpours that continue to repeatedly move over the same areas in northeastern Oklahoma have prompted a flash flood emergency until 5:15 a.m. CDT.
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10:50 p.m. CDT Monday:
A confirmed tornado is on the ground moving toward Leach and Cloud Creek, Kansas. Take cover in a basement or underground storm shelter immediately!
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10:40 p.m. CDT Monday:
AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer captured incredible footage of a tornado that caused significant structural damage to the northwest of Mangum, Oklahoma, on Monday afternoon.
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10:15 p.m. CDT Monday:
Two tornado warnings have been issued just to the southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, until 10:45 and 11:00 p.m. CDT. Residents in the path of these storms should take cover immediately!
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10:00 p.m. CDT Monday:
A tornado watch has been issued for a large part of west-central Texas until 4:00 a.m. CDT. Multiple tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect from Midland to Haskell, Texas.
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9:40 p.m. CDT Monday:
The storm that produced a tornado near Rotan, Texas, continues to move northeastward toward McCaulley and Hamlin, Texas. A tornado warning is in effect for eastern Fisher and northwestern Jones counties.
A tornado warning is also in effect for Bernecker, Texas, until 10:15 p.m. CDT.
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9:15 p.m. CDT Monday:
Trained storm spotters have confirmed that the tornado-warned storm currently impacting Fisher County, Texas, has in fact produced a tornado.
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8:30 p.m. CDT Monday:
More severe damage is shown in Mangum, Oklahoma. Many homes and structures were destroyed. Reports say there are no reported injuries.
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7:10 p.m. CDT Monday:
The storm southeast of Midland, Texas, is very dangerous and has a history of producing a tornado.
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6:40 p.m. CDT Monday:
A new tornado warning has been issued for a storm located 9 miles south of Lomax, Texas. A tornado is possible in this area as well as lightning, heavy rainfall and golf ball-sized hail.
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6:30 p.m. CDT Monday:
A tornado that touched down in Mangum, Oklahoma, has caused significant damage to buildings and homes.
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5:33 p.m. CDT Monday:
AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer is chasing a very large tornado north of Mangum, Oklahoma. If you are near this area, take shelter immediately!
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5:20 p.m. CDT Monday:
Tornado damage to houses and buildings has been reported in Mindenmines, Missouri, and in Barton County, Missouri. The tornado has since lifted.
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4:30 p.m. CDT Monday:
A tornadic supercell southwest of Gould, Oklahoma, will likely produce a large tornado. If you are near this area, seek shelter immediately.
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3:45 p.m. CDT Monday:
There is a serious threat for hail in excess of 3 inches today across portions of Texas and Oklahoma. Hail of this magnitude can lead to extensive damage to anything left outside.
Residents of Wellington, Texas, are sharing pictures of extremely large, baseball-sized hail on social media.
Baseball-sized hail in Wellington, Texas.
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3:40 p.m. CDT Monday:
AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer reports a dangerous tornado is heading toward Crescent, Oklahoma. If you are near this area, take cover now!
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2:58 p.m. CDT Monday:
A confirmed tornado was located near Paducah, Texas, moving northeast at 40 mph. Reports indicate it is a rope tornado.
Rope tornado in Paducah, Texas. (Twitter/MattChow97)
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1:35 p.m. CDT Monday:
A new tornado watch has been issued across central Oklahoma and parts of northern Texas. This is a particularly dangerous situation and includes Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Ardmore, and Elk City, Oklahoma, and Wichita Falls and Seymour, Texas.
"This is only the second watch in SPC history where every category of watch probabilities ([tornado], wind, hail) are at greater than 95%. The only other watch like this was issued for Alabama on 27 April 2011," SPC said on Twitter.
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12:35 p.m. CDT Monday:
The City of Moore, Oklahoma, which has been struck by multiple powerful tornadoes in its history, has said that due to the severe weather forecast for central Oklahoma, buildings and city operations will be ceasing at 1 p.m. local time.
"This includes City Hall, Public Works, Parks & Recreation (The Station and the Brand Senior Center). Thank you and please be weather aware through today, tonight, and into tomorrow," officials said in a statement.
May 20 is the six-year anniversary of the EF5 tornado that leveled Moore.
A billboard along a highway in Oklahoma is warning drivers of the elevated severe weather on Monday. (Twitter/@RyanToemmes)
The first tornado watch of the day has been issued for part of the Texas Panhandle. A tornado watch means that conditions will become favorable for tornadoes to develop in the coming hours.
This is a particularly dangerous situation. Intense tornadoes, grapefruit-sized hail and winds over 70 mph are likely with storms that develop in this area.
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11:50 a.m. CDT Monday:
AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer discussed the substantial threats associated with the severe weather danger in the central and southern Plains today.
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