Ingredients are coming together for what could be a significant severe weather outbreak in the Plains states over the weekend.
Friday evening, tornadoes formed near and south of Oklahoma City. One tornado struck Norman, OK, and is estimated to be an EF-2 tornado with winds of 111 to 135 mph. Our sister station KFOR has more about that and streaming live coverage here.
The weather set-up will be a bit more significant Saturday:
- A strong storm from the western US will approach the Plains.
- Warm, humid air will surge northward from the Gulf of Mexico.
- A powerful jet stream will be in the area to increase the intensity of the storms, and to produce wind shear.
Much of the central Plains, from Nebraska down through Kansas and Oklahoma, have a high risk of severe weather Saturday into Saturday evening. The threat of strong, long-lasting tornadoes is likely in parts of those states.
The system will weaken slightly on Sunday as the severe risk shifts slightly east. The dynamics for severe weather will continue to decrease on Monday. This system will affect our weather Tuesday into Wednesday, but we will not see the type of weather the nation’s mid-section will be experiencing this weekend.
