Watch Issued as Severe Thunderstorms Threaten the Southern Plains with Large Hail and Damaging Winds

Linda Lam
Published: April 16,2017

The potential for severe thunderstorms will continue in the Plains states Sunday evening with large hail and damaging winds being the main threats, though an isolated tornado is also possible. A few stray severe storms may also fire up in parts of the Ohio Valley and interior Northeast.
(MORE: Tornado Central)
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a severe thunderstorm watch valid until 10 p.m. CDT for western Oklahoma and the eastern Texas Panhandle and south Plains. This watch area includes Childress, Texas, and Mangum, Oklahoma.

Current Radar

Early Sunday evening, flooding was reported near Ringling, Oklahoma, with up to 3 feet of standing water on Highway 70. This caused a portion of the highway to be closed west of Ringling.
Reports of large hail came in from Midland, Texas, later Sunday evening, up to 1.75 inches in diameter.
Elsewhere, there were scattered wind damage reports across upstate New York and Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon and evening. This included three hangar doors being blown in at Bradford County Airport in South Towanda, Pennsylvania.
The cold front causing this weekend's severe weather in the Plains spawned thunderstorms that brought large hail to parts of Kansas, eastern Nebraska and Iowa on Saturday. Hailstones the size of baseballs were reported near La Porte City, Iowa, which smashed some windshields.
A few brief tornadoes were also observed, but no significant damage was reported.
Below is a look at the forecast showing what to expect.
(MORE: April's Tornadic, Dangerous Reputation)

Forecast Details

Sunday Evening

• A low-pressure system will slowly push south and east, and the associated cold front will stretch from the eastern Great Lakes into northern Texas.
• The area at greatest risk for severe storms includes a swath from the Texas Panhandle through Oklahoma to southern Kansas. A few severe storms are also possible eastward through the Ohio Valley and interior Northeast.
• Large hail and damaging winds are the primary threats, although an isolated tornado is possible.
• CITIES: Lubbock, Texas | Oklahoma City | Joplin, Missouri

Sunday Evening's Thunderstorm Forecast

Only isolated severe weather is expected in the Plains states Monday into Tuesday.
A more significant threat of severe storms may impact parts of the Plains and Midwest by Wednesday as a new weather system enters the picture.
(MORE: Severe Thunderstorms Return to Midwest Wednesday; Threat Shifts East Thursday)

Storm Reports Since Last Sunday

Friday

Baseball-sized hail was reported near Friona, Texas, and hen egg-sized hail was reported near Bovina, Texas, in the western Texas panhandle on Friday evening.
A significant tornado was spotted by storm chasers west and northwest of Dimmitt, Texas over an hour period. Damage from the tornado was given a preliminary EF3 rating by the National Weather Service. The slow moving parent supercell thunderstorm also put down hail in excess of 2.00 inches in diameter northwest of Dimmitt.
This very slow-moving storm also brought flooding and highways 86 and 385 were both closed in all directions on Friday night out of Dimmitt.

Thursday

A tornado was reported on Thursday afternoon near the Red River northwest of Wichita Falls and minor flooding was reported in central Oklahoma.

Wednesday

Wednesday afternoon, hail as large as tennis balls was reported in the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas. In some spots, hail accumulated up to 3 inches deep.
A car's back window suffered heavy damage in Sierra Blanca, Texas, due to the 2.5-inch hailstones in that area.
(MORE: Car Window Shattered in Sierra Blanca as Storms Pound Western Texas)
Early Wednesday, hail up to golf-ball size was reported in southeastern New Mexico and near Denver City, Texas.

Tuesday

Early Tuesday, numerous road closures were reported across southwestern Kendall County in Texas, near Boerne, due to water over roadways. Several water rescues were reported Tuesday morning in Belton, Texas, where over 20 roads were flooded.
Several reports of flooding occurred in the Interstate 35 corridor south of Austin, Texas, especially in the San Marcos area. At least one high-water rescue was performed in San Marcos.
(LATEST: Flash Flooding Impacts in Texas)

Monday

Pea-size hail was reported just southwest of Chicago's Midway Airport Monday afternoon, along with wind gusts up to 45 mph, as a severe thunderstorm pushed through the Windy City.
Hail damage was reported near Bolingbrook, Illinois, southwest of Chicago, including shredded window screens and damage to siding on homes. Additionally, hail up to the size of tennis balls was reported in Canton, Illinois.
Farther south, a school bus was stranded in northeast Texas between Greenville and Celeste Monday afternoon, due to flooding on Highway 69.

Sunday

Severe weather associated with this weather system first fired up in the Plains on Sunday.
An 80-mph wind gust was reported in Palisade, Nebraska, late Sunday afternoon, and there were various hail reports from 1.00 to 1.75 inches in diameter in south-central portions of that state Sunday evening. Golf ball-size hail broke a car's windshield near Blue Hill, Nebraska.
Hail up to the size of tennis balls was reported near Stacyville, Iowa, late Sunday night.

MORE: Severe Weather in the Midwest, Great Lakes, April 10, 2017 (PHOTOS)

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