Millions of people in the central United States should brace for powerful storms that could include long tornadoes, hurricane-force winds and hail the size of baseballs, forecasters said Monday, as well as central Oklahoma and Kansas. An unusual high-risk warning has been issued for the southern part of the state.
Much of Oklahoma and parts of Kansas are at greatest risk from severe weather, including those still recovering from the tornadoes late last month that killed four people and left thousands without power. It also includes areas in Oklahoma such as Sulfur and Holdenville. Both the Plains and Midwest were hit by tornadoes this spring.
WATCH: Tornado tears through America’s heartland, causing devastation in multiple states
The National Weather Service said more than 3.4 million people, 1,614 schools and 159 hospitals in Oklahoma, parts of southern Kansas and far northern Texas faced the most severe tornado threat.
A mailbox was partially submerged on a flooded road in unincorporated eastern Harris County near Houston on Sunday morning, May 5, 2024. Heavy rains earlier this week caused the nearby San Jacinto River to overflow, causing flooding. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
In total, nearly 10 million people live in areas that could be affected, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.
Schools and universities across the state, including the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Public Schools and several metropolitan school districts, closed early and canceled late afternoon and evening classes and activities.
The Oklahoma Emergency Operations Center, which coordinates the storm response from a bunker near the Oklahoma State Capitol, remains operational since last weekend’s deadly storm, and the state’s public safety commissioner has told state agencies that Oklahoma He ordered the majority of employees across the state to leave early Monday.
Monte Tucker, a farmer and rancher in Sweetwater, Oklahoma’s westernmost town, said Monday he keeps his tractor and some of his heavy equipment in a barn to protect his home from hail and doesn’t come by when the weather gets dangerous. I told the neighbors that it was okay. .
“We built our house 10 years ago and my stubborn wife made sure we had a safe room,” Tucker said. He said the entire first-floor room was built with reinforced concrete walls.
Mr Tucker said there wasn’t much that could be done to protect cattle from severe storms, but animals tend to sense when the weather is becoming dangerous.
Bill Bunting, deputy director of the Storm Prediction Center, said the high risk from the center is not something you see every day or every spring.
“This is the highest level of threat we can define, and it’s a day that should be taken very seriously,” he said.
The last time a high risk was issued was on March 31, 2023, when major storms battered parts of the South and Midwest, including rural areas of Arkansas, Illinois and Indiana.
AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist John Porter said Monday’s risk level in parts of the southern Plains was the worst in five years.
“If you look in your meteorology textbook about how large tornadoes form in the southern Plains, all the ingredients you need are here today,” Porter said.
Cities expected to experience severe weather include Kansas City, Missouri, and Lincoln, Nebraska.
Bunting said the number and strength of storms should increase rapidly during the evening hours from western Oklahoma to south-central Kansas.
Thunderstorms are expected, with winds of up to 80 mph (49.71 kph) possible and possibly even higher, Porter said. Even worse, these “supercell” storms can produce destructive tornadoes.
“The type of tornado this storm produces is particularly intense and can last for a long period of time,” Porter said. “These tornadoes can sometimes last 45 minutes to an hour or even longer, creating a path of destruction as they advance.”
The danger comes from an unusual convergence that sent wind gusts of up to 75 mph (46.60 kph) across Colorado’s densely populated Front Range region, including the Denver area, on Monday.
Greg Hebner, a warning coordinating meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Denver area, said the winds are being generated by a low-pressure system in northern Colorado that is also pulling moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, increasing the risk of severe weather in the Plains. He said there was. office.
There is no risk of tornadoes or thunderstorms in Colorado.
Dangerous weather in the Plains is moving east, with potential danger overnight into early Tuesday in areas such as Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri, Porter said.
“This is not an atmospheric environment where the sun will set and the thunderstorms will weaken and there will be no additional risks,” said Victor Gensini, a professor of meteorology at Northern Illinois University. “Tonight’s tornado risk will continue into the evening and into the evening, creating very difficult conditions.”
The eastern and southern United States is expected to bear the brunt of severe weather throughout the rest of the week, including Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, and Cincinnati, including more than 21 locations. There are several cities. Million people live there. It should clear up by the weekend.
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Meanwhile, heavy rains early Monday pounded Southwest Texas, particularly the Houston area, flooding neighborhoods and prompting hundreds of rescues in high water.
Bunting advised people in affected areas to plan for severe weather.
“Make sure you have a way to contact your family,” he said. “Make sure everyone knows where their shelter is and how they can stay alert.”
