
Severe Threats to Hit Tornado Alley, Upper Midwest
Severe storms are set to rumble from the Texas Panhandle to Lake Superior today.
# SUMMARY -------------------- THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 627 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 2 COUNTIES IN THE PANHANDLE OF OKLAHOMA CIMARRON TEXAS IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 19 COUNTIES IN THE PANHANDLE OF TEXAS ARMSTRONG CARSON COLLINGSWORTH DALLAM DEAF SMITH DONLEY GRAY HANSFORD HARTLEY HEMPHILL HUTCHINSON MOORE OCHILTREE OLDHAM POTTER RANDALL ROBERTS SHERMAN WHEELER THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF AMARILLO, BOISE CITY, BOOTLEG, BORGER, BOYS RANCH, BRISCOE, BUFFALO LAKE, BUSHLAND, CANADIAN, CANYON, CHANNING, CLARENDON, CLAUDE, CODMAN, CONLEN, DALHART, DAWN, DOZIER, DUMAS, FARNSWORTH, FOUR WAY, GLAZIER, GOODNIGHT, GRUVER, GUYMON, HARTLEY, HEREFORD, KEYES, KINGSMILL, LAKE MARVIN, LELA, LORA, LUTIE, MASTERSON, MIAMI, PAMPA, PANHANDLE, PANTEX, PERRYTON, ROMERO, SAMNORWOOD, SHAMROCK, SKELLYTOWN, SPEARMAN, STRATFORD, TWITTY, UMBARGER, VEGA, WAKA, WARE, WASHBURN, WAYSIDE, WELLINGTON, WHEELER, WHITE DEER, WILDORADO, AND WOLF CREEK PARK. # DETAILS -------------------- ISSUED AT Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 4:00 PM CDT ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX HEADER WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION FOR WATCH 627
Closest strike: 9.83 miles Stay Alert! Remain in a safe area until there has been no lightning within 10 miles of this location for 30 minutes. Please be aware that lightning activity can remain high even when a storm is moving away from your location. Even if rain has stopped, do not leave your safe area until WeatherBug indicates that lightning is more than 10 miles away from this selected location. IF OUTDOORS Avoid water, high ground, and open spaces. Avoid all metal objects including electric wires, fences, and machinery. Find a safe area in a building or in a fully enclosed vehicle with the windows completely shut. Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters, convertibles, or near trees. IF INDOORS Avoid water and stay away from doors and windows. Avoid using a hard line telephone. Take off headphones. Turn off, unplug, and stay away from appliances, computers, power tools, and TV sets. Lightning may strike exterior electric and phone lines, inducing shocks to inside equipment.
There is a Slight Severe Storm Risk for your location. Continue reading for today's outlook from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. -------------------- National Severe Storm Outlook THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE TEXAS PANHANDLE THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR EASTERN MINNESOTA INTO NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS SUMMARY Scattered severe thunderstorms are likely across parts of the central/southern Plains this afternoon and evening, and also possible across portions of the Upper Midwest. Severe wind gusts and large hail are the primary hazards. Central High Plains The 15% wind/hail probability areas (and the corresponding Level 2/Slight Risk area) were shifted westward with this outlook update based on the latest HRRR/RRFS and time-lagged ensemble guidance that suggest greater storm coverage is more likely from the southern Nebraska Panhandle into northeastern Colorado, southwestern Nebraska, and northwestern Kansas. The eastern extent of these probabilities was also trimmed across portions of south-central Nebraska and north-central Kansas where recent guidance is more suggestive of lower storm coverage. Elsewhere, the forecast remains generally on track with only minor changes made to the existing outlook. See the discussion below and MCD 2127 for additional details.
Pollen Index: 8.2 Pollen Level: medium-high Predominant Pollen: Grass, Chenopods and Ragweed. The quantity of pollen grains in the air for Wednesday will be falling in the moderate range. This change results in part from falling temperatures, rising humidity, and expected precipitation in the morning and evening which tends to wash pollen out of the air.












