Big Thunderstorms Pepper Texas to Illinois Tonight | WeatherBug
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Big Thunderstorms Pepper Texas to Illinois Tonight

May 23, 2019
UPDATED By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Fred Allen
A busy week of severe weather across the nation’s midsection will persist through midweek with another storm outbreak. Very large hail, destructive wind gusts, flooding rain and even a few significant tornadoes will all be possible.

A cold front will budge little tonight from Oklahoma to Illinois. This will set up the battleground between very warm and humid air to its south from cooler and significantly drier air behind it across the western High Plains. A couple of fast-moving disturbances at high altitudes in the atmosphere will enhance and keep the severe storm threat going for several more hours of tonight.

The most dangerous thunderstorms, carrying the potential for at least a few intense tornadoes, giant hail larger than baseballs and damaging gusts up to 80 mph, will be found from northeastern Oklahoma to central Missouri. This includes cities from Tulsa, Okla., to Joplin and Sedalia, Mo. Oklahoma City and Columbia, Mo., will also have to keep a watchful eye to the sky for similar threatening thunderstorms this evening into tonight.

A pair of Particularly Dangerous Situation Tornado Watches are in place from far north-central Texas to southwestern and central Missouri. Joplin, Mo., Chanute, Kan., and Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Norman and Ardmore, Okla., are included. A new Tornado Watch has been issued from northeastern Missouri to far southeastern Iowa and western Illinois. Columbia, Mo., and Quincy and Peoria, Ill., are included.

Even Wichita Falls, Texas, to St. Louis, Peoria, Ill., and as far east as Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Ind., will have to keep a close eye to the sky for threatening weather too.
Flash flooding has already been a significant concern the last few days across Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas, and with repeating thunderstorms over the same areas will likely continue to worsen the problem. If you encounter a roadway that is covered by water, make sure to follow a simple saying, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown”.

So far on Wednesday, nearly 40 severe weather reports have been reported by the government’s Storm Prediction Center, including 16 of them as possible tornadoes from Oklahoma to Missouri. Baseball size hail pelted Okmulgee and near Vera, Okla. Multiple 60-mph gusts were clocked near Tiawah, Okla., and Centerview and Renick, Mo.

The frontal system will progress eastward on Thursday spreading the severe weather risks to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. This should provide a much-needed break for the central U.S.

Keep in mind that lightning is one of Mother Nature's most dangerous killers. “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors” because if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning, even if the sun is shining.