Severe weather was expected to continue through the Memorial Day weekend, bringing the risk of hail and potential strong tornadoes.
Through Saturday
On Saturday night the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch to residents of a large swath of land covering areas of Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas until 5 a.m. on Sunday — the warning area stretched from Kansas City and Topeka down to Tulsa and over to Branson.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma until 5 AM CDT pic.twitter.com/SyWjq2QdKl
— NWS Tulsa (@NWStulsa) May 26, 2024
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center forecasts isolated thunderstorms would continue through Saturday morning in a region stretching from the middle of Texas to the mid-South and the mid-Mississippi Valley.
The National Weather Service's office in Norman, Oklahoma said on its Facebook page there is a risk for large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes throughout the region around Oklahoma City.
In addition to the storm threat, Texas should brace for triple-digit heat and humidity, officials said.
Red Flag fire warnings were also put in place in parts Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado, and for all of New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service.
Through Sunday
Conditions were forecast to intensify over Kansas and Oklahoma into Sunday, where the Storm Prediction Center said it expected a risk of "several strong to violent tornadoes, extreme hail, and corridors of widespread wind damage." Residents in Tulsa Oklahoma braced for major weather overnighton Saturday.
More storms were expected to develop in the afternoon, with the greatest tornado risk in the evening hours.
Weather
4 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado, officials say
Damage from Friday storms
Iowa and Illinois reported tornadoes on Friday, including a weak tornado near suburban Des Moines. Storms downed power lines and damaged buildings, but there were no deaths or injuries.
Greenfield, Iowa, was cleaning up after severe storms caused deadly tornadoes on Tuesday. Four people were killed and 35 were injured in the town and a fifth person was killed about 25 miles away when a tornado blew a car off the road.
