US weather forecast Sunday: Millions of people in central US at risk of severe storms

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A level 4 out of 5 “moderate” risk for severe storms was issued in parts of Oklahoma by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) for Sunday. This risk covers more than 2 million people across the state, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

These severe storms will be capable of producing large hail, a few strong tornadoes (EF2 or greater) and destructive winds on Sunday afternoon and overnight. These storms are associated with a developing low pressure system and a front stretching from the Midwest to the southern plains.

“The potential exists for a few long track supercells to evolve and move east and northeast through Oklahoma along and just south of the front,” the SPC said.
A supercell is simply a thunderstorm with which a rotation is associated. Almost all supercells produce severe weather phenomena such as large hail, destructive winds, or even tornadoes.
The threat of tornadoes is highest on Sunday in the Oklahoma and North Texas areas on Sunday afternoon and evening. Tornadoes that occur at night are more than twice as likely to be fatal as those that occur during the day.

“Interstate 35 from Dallas to Oklahoma City will be particularly busy Sunday due to the ‘Red River rivalry game’ between Texas and Oklahoma that took place on Saturday,” CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said. “It means a lot of fans could be heading home this afternoon and tonight – a peak time for storms.”

More than 20 million people at risk

Oklahoma is not the only area at risk for severe storms on Sunday. The severe storm threat extends from central Missouri to the heart of Texas.

An “enhanced” level 3 risk surrounds moderate risk and includes the Dallas-Fort Worth metro and Fort Smith, Arkansas.

A level 2 “mild” risk includes Springfield, Missouri; Waco, Texas; and Wichita Falls, Texas. In total, more than 20 million people are exposed to severe storms on Sunday.

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These storms are fueled by a shock of the seasons. Upstream of the system, well above average temperatures are found in places in the central United States, and moisture also drains northward from the Gulf of Mexico. Nearly a dozen daily high temperature records are possible ahead of this system as temperatures soar into the ’90s on Sunday.

Behind this system, below-average temperatures settle in the western United States. Just like in spring, this shock of air masses and excessive humidity become the fuel for the formation of severe storms.

“Tornadoes and other severe weather events aren’t limited to spring. Southern states from Texas to Georgia are experiencing a second season of severe weather in October and November,” Chinchar said.

On Monday, the risk of a severe storm shifted to the Midwest, threatening more than 40 million people, including Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis.

More severe storms later this week

The threat of a severe storm will return to parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Tuesday as another system ejects into the central plains.

A frontal system current entering the Pacific Northwest will dip south and east throughout Sunday, bringing in the coldest air of the season.

This front will cross the Rockies on Monday, bringing heavy snow to the many mountain ranges in the West. While the west experienced snow showers on Friday and Saturday, this storm will bring the first significant snowfall of the season.

This system will strengthen on Tuesday as it moves over the Rockies and into the central United States, bringing another round of severe storms to the central United States where all dangers are possible: destructive winds, hail. and tornadoes.

The risk of a severe storm on Tuesday affects more than 15 million people from southwestern Minnesota to west Texas. The greatest threat from these storms is forecast for parts of southern Nebraska, Kansas and northern Oklahoma. The time of these storms will be in the evening until night.

“The risk (of a severe storm) is likely to continue overnight, as the mighty system advances across the central plains,” the SPC said.

Severe weather that occurs at night can increase the risk of injury and death, as people often sleep and are not as plugged in to weather warnings as they can be during the day.

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