Weekend severe storms threaten millions across Plains with Tornado Alley expected to reignite later in May
After brief reprieve, a severe weather pattern is expected to return later this month across the Plains over the historical "Tornado Alley" which stretches from Nebraska south through Kansas, Oklahoma and parts of North Texas.
After a brief reprieve, a severe weather pattern is expected to return later this month across the Plains over the historical "Tornado Alley" which stretches from Nebraska south through Kansas, Oklahoma and parts of North Texas.
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Ahead of this pattern flip, severe storms are forecast to reignite over nearly 40 million people across parts of the Southern Plains through Mother's Day.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a Level 2 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms that covers central and eastern Oklahoma, as well as parts of North Texas on Saturday.
This includes Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Tulsa and Wichita Falls, Texas. There's a chance of strong tornadoes rated EF-2 or higher for this area, the FOX Forecast Center said.
A broader Level 1 threat covers central and southwestern Kansas, parts of Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming, as well as much of the Gulf Coast east of Houston.
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Large hail and damaging winds are possible from Oklahoma up through Wyoming.
Different parts of the Southern Plains will see severe weather through Mother's Day.
A Level 3 severe threat covers Dallas and parts of Central Texas on Sunday.
The primary threats will be damaging wind gusts and hail, although isolated tornadoes are possible.
Historically, May sees the most tornadoes of any month during the year — primarily due to increased activity across Tornado Alley. While that has not been the case thus far, long-range forecasts indicate that a more traditional severe weather pattern will take shape over the Plains sometime mid-month.
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So far this season, the most severe storms have been concentrated in the Midwest, as well as parts of the South, including Mississippi, which was hit by several twisters during a Tornado Emergency earlier this week.
Currently, a large dip in the jet stream is suppressing severe storm development over the Plains, but by late May, many long-range forecasts expect that dip to move back over the West.
This allows warm air from the Gulf to rush across the Plains and fuel storms, similar to the pattern that resulted in the deadly April 23-28 tornado outbreak across the Southern Plains.
Long-range forecasts from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) show above-average rain expected across the Southwest and central Plains.
Like any long-range forecast, however, conditions can change, so the FOX Forecast Center will continue monitoring any changes.
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