Dangerous Midwest storms Thursday to expand into South with threat of tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds
On Wednesday, around 100 reports of severe weather were recorded by the National Weather Service, making it the fourth-most-active day of 2024. In Alma, Kansas, there was a report of softball-sized hail (4 inches in diameter), which tied the largest hail report of the year so far.
Dangerous storms are ongoing across the Midwest on Thursday morning after producing at least one tornado in Kansas and numerous hail reports, including around Kansas City and St. Louis in Missouri.
Severe Thunderstorm Watches are posted until 10 a.m. CDT across central Illinois and until 12 p.m. CDT in parts of southern Illinois and eastern Missouri, including St. Louis.
(FOX Weather)
"I think a lot of the morning action is going to be across Illinois closer to that spin of low pressure," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "But as we go to the afternoon, we're going to throw a lot more people in across Arkansas."
WATCH VS. WARNING: HERE ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE WEATHER TERMS THAT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
(FOX Weather)
On Wednesday, around 100 reports of severe weather were recorded by the National Weather Service, making it the fourth-most-active day of 2024. In Alma, Kansas, there was a report of softball-sized hail (4 inches in diameter), which tied the largest hail report of the year so far.
7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HAIL
FOX Weather Storm Trackers were also in the right place at the right time and captured video of a supercell producing a large tornado outside of the town of Alta Vista in northeastern Kansas. There were no reports of significant damage, but about 200 customers in the rural area experienced a power outage.
THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU ARE DRIVING AND THERE IS A TORNADO ON THE GROUND
Tornado caught on video by FOX Weather Storm Tracker
A significant tornado was spotted outside of the town of Alta Vista in Northeast Kansas on Wednesday evening.
Hail and heavy rain are the main concerns as the storms are north of the warm front, where the air near the ground is too cool to support tornadoes, the FOX Forecast Center said. During the afternoon, these storms may transition into a squall line across Indiana and Ohio, with damaging wind gusts becoming a concern.
The main event will begin during the afternoon as storms erupt from Illinois down to Texas ahead of an eastward-charging cold front.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER
(FOX Weather)
Due to the high amounts of energy and moderate wind shear – the change in wind speed and/or direction with height – supercells capable of all severe weather hazards – including tornadoes, damaging winds and, particularly, very large hail – may develop, the FOX Forecast Center said.
The greatest risk for EF-2 or stronger tornadoes and baseball-sized hail (2.75 inches in diameter) or larger will be across eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri, where low-level wind shear is the strongest.
After the initial development, storms will combine into one or more clusters, with the threat of damaging wind gusts increasing while the hail and tornado threat decreases.
These storms will cross the Mississippi River overnight and move into the Southeast on Friday, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Friday
As the system drops into the Southeast and southern Plains on Friday, the severe weather threat will decrease as the available atmospheric energy drops compared to the days prior.
(FOX Weather)
Only a few severe storms will be possible during the afternoon from Texas to the Southeast.
Be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted to any major changes in the forecast or severe weather alerts issued in your area.
No comments: