More life-threatening severe weather is possible in the southern Plains after a twister hit the nation’s center on Friday. Additionally, there is growing confidence that flash flooding is possible in parts of east-central Oklahoma, with 5 to 10 inches of rain possible by Sunday. More than 50 million people are under threat from severe weather as the atmosphere continues to recharge, stretching more than 1,500 miles from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes.
The greatest tornado threat on Saturday spread from Oklahoma through the upper Mississippi Valley, but is expected to move eastward Sunday.
Given this risk, the NWS office in Norman, Oklahoma, launched a special weather balloon Saturday afternoon to assist with atmospheric surveys to determine if a storm will develop in the evening.
The Storm Prediction Center received more than 100 severe weather reports Saturday, most of them large hail, but several tornadoes were spotted in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Tornado hits Omaha
A tornado hits Elkhorn, Nebraska on Friday, April 26, causing fallen trees and tornado debris. (Thomas Hinterdorfer of X @hinto62)
The severe weather threat is expected to subside by Sunday, but there remains a widespread risk of additional storms across the Mississippi Valley. The Level 2 severe weather threat covers more than 20 million people from Austin and Dallas in Texas to southeastern Iowa and western Illinois.
Tornadoes, large hail and damaging wind gusts are occurring again, but the storm is not expected to be as intense as Friday.
Flash flooding may occur in areas experiencing severe weather
If the tornadoes, hail and winds weren’t enough, much of the Southern Plains will be at significant risk of flash flooding into Sunday.
Thunderstorms can be slow-moving or stationary, dumping several inches of rain in the same area and causing major flooding.
WATCH: Tornado tears through America’s heartland, causing devastation in multiple states
Debris is seen from a destroyed home northwest of Omaha, Nebraska, after a storm battered the area, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Prediction Center has announced that parts of Oklahoma along Interstate 40 east of Oklahoma City are currently at a Level 4 out of 4 flash flood risk into Sunday morning. .
Forecasters said 24-hour rainfall totals in the Level 4 flash flood danger area could approach or exceed 10 inches. However, flash flooding of 3 to 6 inches or more is expected from the Red River Valley to much of Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
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Although a “high” risk of flash flooding is only announced on about 4% of days (including tropical and non-tropical events), this risk category accounts for 39% of flood-related deaths and 83% of flood-related damages on the continent. %. According to research by WPC meteorologists, the United States. Additionally, 46% of high-flood-risk days result in at least one death or injury, and 62% of such days result in at least $1 million in damages, WPC forecasts. Greg Carvin, Director of Operations, said in the investigation.
