Locally severe storms to target Texas, Oklahoma as weekend ends

By Faith Eherts, AccuWeather meteorologist

January 14,2017, 9:27:55AM,EST

 

 The same storm system responsible for the ice storm in the central United States may trigger severe thunderstorms in parts of Texas and southern Oklahoma to end this weekend.

“South of the storm’s track, a large area of rain and potentially severe thunderstorms will erupt on Sunday afternoon in western Texas and race eastward during the overnight hours,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott.
The greatest threats from the storms will be for strong wind gusts, hail and flash flooding. It is possible that a couple of the strongest storms produce a brief tornado.

Cities such as Lubbock, Midland and Abilene, Texas, will be threatened on Sunday afternoon and evening.
The risk of locally severe storms may extend as far north as central Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City area.
“Areas hit by the most destructive storms may experience both property and roof damage, as well as flooding concerns,” said Elliott.
"Flooding downpours will become the main concern later on Sunday night as the thunderstorms track toward Dallas, Tyler and Waco, Texas, and east of Oklahoma City," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
"The risk of damaging winds will lessen, but there can still be localized gusts that cause sporadic tree damage and power outages."
Flight delays and snarled traffic could ensue as storms pass through these cities, resulting in decreased visibility and pooling water on roadways.
The threat of urban flooding and isolated damaging winds will shift eastward into the lower Mississippi Valley on Monday.
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The heavy thunderstorms from Sunday night will shift to Arkansas and northeastern Texas on Monday morning, followed by the development of additional thunderstorms in the afternoon.
The thunderstorms will rattle communities from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Tyler and Austin, Texas.
Localized flash flooding can result, but AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Storm Warning Meteorologist Alex Avalos states that isolated wind gusts to 60 mph cannot be ruled out.
During next week, the track of future storm systems will favor rounds of heavy rain, drought relief and possible flooding problems from the Mississippi Delta region to the southern Appalachians.