New tornado outbreak expected Saturday as 55 million under severe weather threat
After Friday’s destruction, there’s no time to rest as Mother Nature sets up another high-impact, dangerous severe weather day on Saturday. Another tornado outbreak is expected from north Texas into Oklahoma and southeast Kansas.
Another widespread and life-threatening tornado outbreak is likely across the Southern Plains on Saturday, just hours after twisters ripped through the nation’s heartland, leaving more than a dozen injured and neighborhoods reduced to rubble.
Some 55 million people are under threat of severe weather as the atmosphere recharges Saturday, stretching some 1,500 miles from border to border along the Plains, Mississippi Valley and into the Great Lakes, including many of the places still picking up the damage from Friday’s storms.
CATASTROPHIC TORNADO DAMAGE REPORTED IN PLAINS FRIDAY
Tornado Outbreak expected in the Southern Plains with softball-sized hail
A round of severe thunderstorms will kick off from northwestern Texas into western Oklahoma on Saturday morning with large hail and damaging wind the primary threat.
(FOX Weather)
Widespread severe thunderstorms are expected to evolve Saturday afternoon when the atmosphere becomes extremely favorable for multiple tornadoes and massive hail.
(FOX Weather)
The greatest threat for a tornado outbreak Saturday stretches from north Texas into Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas, where NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 4 out of 5 severe weather risk.
THE 5-POINT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK CATEGORY SCALE EXPLAINED
Storms have the potential for long-track, intense tornadoes of EF-3 strength or greater, massive softball-sized hail stones and wind gusts over 75 mph.
(FOX Weather)
Later Saturday evening, a line of severe thunderstorms is expected to form and move east across eastern Oklahoma and north Texas. The more intense parts of the storm line, which will last into the overnight hours, could produce embedded tornadoes and damaging wind gusts over 70 mph.
NIGHTTIME TORNADOES: HOW YOU CAN STAY SAFE FROM NOCTURNAL TWISTERS
Severe weather threat extends north into Great Lakes
Meanwhile, a warm front to the north is likely to extend from Nebraska through Wisconsin, according to the FOX Forecast Center. This front will focus on a separate area of strong to severe storms on Saturday.
WHAT IS A ‘TORNADO EMERGENCY’?
Dangerous Level 3 severe weather risks spread across much of the Central Plains, including Kansas City, Missouri; Des Moines, Iowa; and Topeka, Kansas.
(FOX Weather)
Both the Omaha, Nebraska, and Minden, Iowa areas that took direct hits from tornadoes on Friday are under a Level 2 severe weather risk on Saturday.
Once again, tornadoes and massive golf-ball-sized hail will be the greatest threats with these storms. Strong tornadoes of EF-2 strength or greater will be possible across southern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and far western Missouri, including Kansas City and Topeka.
HOW DOES A TORNADO OUTBREAK HAPPEN?
The severe risk reaches north into the Great Lakes, encompassing swaths of Michigan, Illinois and southern Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, which are also under a Level 2 risk on Saturday.
More daunting weather news: Flash flooding likely in severe weather outbreak zone
If tornadoes, hail and wind were not enough, much of the Southern Plains is also at a significant risk of flash flooding Saturday into Saturday night.
As the severe thunderstorms become more widespread on Saturday evening, some will be capable of producing heavy rain at the rate of 2-3 inches per hour.
Thunderstorms may be slow movers or stall, allowing multiple inches of rain to fall on the same areas, leading to significant flooding issues.
WHAT ARE TRAINING THUNDERSTORMS, AND WHY ARE THEY SO DANGEROUS?
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has a Level 3 out of 4 flash flood risk stretching from northern Texas through the heart of Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City, into southeastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri.
(FOX Weather)
More thunderstorms in the same area are possible on Sunday, and some areas could receive over 5 inches of rain by the end of the weekend, with isolated areas reaching over 8 inches.
No rest for the weary: More severe weather expected Sunday
The severe weather threat is expected to wane a little for Sunday, but still presents a widespread risk of additional storms across the Mississippi Valley. A Level 2 severe weather threat covers over 20 million people from Austin and Dallas in Texas to southeastern Iowa and western Illinois.
(FOX Weather)
Once again, tornadoes, large hail and damaging wind gusts are all in play, but the storms are not expected to be as intense as Saturday.
The nation’s heartland should finally be reprieved from severe weather on Monday.
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