Apr 27, 2024,10:33am EDT
TOPLINE
The National Weather Service warned of significant tornado activity across five states this weekend, following destructive tornadoes and severe weather that ravaged the Midwest on Friday, causing extensive damage to homes and businesses in Nebraska and Iowa.
KEY FACTS
Severe thunderstorms, potentially spawning numerous tornadoes, are expected across portions of Oklahoma, northern Texas, Kansas, Iowa, and western Missouri, with the possibility of widespread damaging winds exceeding 70 miles per hour and large hail exceeding two inches in diameter.
Areas near Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Wichita Falls, Texas, are under a “moderate” risk of severe weather, the second-highest level of risk, while regions around Dallas, Fort Worth, Kansas City, and Wichita, Kansas, are under an “enhanced” risk.
A “slight” risk of severe weather extends from southwestern Texas to northern Michigan, including Milwaukee, Chicago, and Madison, Wisconsin, with the threat of tornadoes increasing into the late afternoon and early evening. In addition to tornado threats, heavy rainfall of up to eight inches is anticipated in some areas, such as Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and parts of Kansas and Texas, raising concerns about flash floods.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Severe storms are expected to persist on Sunday from Texas to Wisconsin, potentially producing tornadoes in northeastern Texas to southern Iowa and causing heavy rainfall and flooding in the Mississippi Valley. BIG NUMBER 100: The number of tornadoes reported to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center on Friday, spanning eastern Nebraska, Oklahoma, western Iowa and Missouri, and northeastern Texas.
KEY BACKGROUND
Following the tornadoes that struck Iowa and Nebraska on Friday, Gov. Kim Reynolds and Gov. Jim Pillen declared emergency proclamations in their respective states. Pottawattamie County, Iowa, reported approximately 120 homes and businesses destroyed in Minden, just east of Omaha, with four storm-related injuries. In Omaha, two individuals sustained minor injuries as a tornado passed through the Elkhorn neighborhood, accompanied by significant property damage in Shelby and Douglas counties.