(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – This photo shows the National Weather Service monitoring station in Brownville, Texas, May 23, 2014. (David Pike/Valley Morning Star via AP, File)
(AP) Concern is rising that the first major storm outbreak on the verge of spring could strike the nation’s heartland, putting millions of Americans from Texas to Iowa at risk of potentially strong tornadoes.
Some scattered severe thunderstorms were expected to begin late Thursday in the Texas Panhandle and across western Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, the National Weather Service said. Large hail, damaging winds and possibly a few tornadoes were also expected, according to the forecasters.
Strongest storms and possible tornadoes are expected Friday
The strongest storms are forecast to develop Friday in a zone that includes much of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri and areas of some nearby states.
“This is probably our first real event this season where people are really starting to pay attention getting into the spring storm season,” said Melissa Mayes, deputy director of the Washington County Emergency Management Agency in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, north of Tulsa.
More than 6 million Americans are at the highest risk of severe weather Friday in an area that includes the metropolitan areas of Kansas City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to the national Storm Prediction Center. Another 22 million people are at a slightly lesser risk in a zone that includes Oklahoma City; St. Louis; Omaha, Nebraska; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“We’re right in the middle of it,” said John Stipetich, deputy emergency management director in Douglas County, Kansas, home to the University of Kansas.
Stipetich has been working this week with forecasters to glean details of what’s expected and then turn that into a situation report he can share with schools, government agencies and others in the community.
Warm air from Gulf is clashing with cold air from Canada
The general setup for the strong storms is a clash between warm air streaming north from the Gulf Coast and cooler Canadian air behind cold fronts, according to meteorologists with the private forecasting service AccuWeather.
In parts of the eastern U.S., this weather pattern is also expected to usher in extremely warm temperatures for this time of year by the weekend.
“Temperatures will be 20-30 degrees above average, with 80s reaching as far north as parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic,” federal forecasters wrote in their long-range forecast discussion. “Daily records could become widespread.”
The high temperature in Louisville, Kentucky, for instance, is expected to reach 81 degrees (27.2 Celsius) by Friday, the weather service predicts. Atlanta’s high temperature is expected to hit 82 degrees (27.8 Celsius) by Saturday. The forecast for Washington, D.C., calls for a high temperature of 74 degrees (23.3 Celsius) on Saturday.
Storms come near the start of tornado season
The spring storms in the forecast come near the start of what many call tornado season, which generally begins at different times in different parts of the United States.
In what has historically been known as Tornado Alley — a designation that typically includes Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas — the peak of tornado season is May into early June. But the season starts earlier in what is often called Dixie Alley made up of southern states such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
Safety experts urge people to be ready before storms strike
Experts recommend a few simple safety steps to take before tornadoes hit.
For Mayes and other emergency managers at this time of year, social media is a key tool for raising awareness of the risks that storm season brings.
“We will probably start pushing out some safety tips this afternoon,” she said.
In Lawrence, Kansas, emergency managers must deliver information and warnings to a mix of university students, staff and visitors who might not be familiar with Kansas weather.
“Even people who have lived in Kansas their whole life sometimes get confused about what the siren means,” Stipetich said. “If you hear the siren, there’s a tornado coming and you need to take cover.”
