KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The second day of heavy weto her onecrossing the Plains and Midwest spawned at least one major tornado in Kansas and resulted in softball-sized hail.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center highlighted communities in two states as being at an increased risk or level 3 out of 5 for hail, damaging winds and tornadoes, and it appears the forecast came with many Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings issued by local National Weather Service offices.
FOX Weather Storm Trackers were in the right place at the right time and captured video of a supercell producing a large tornado outside the town of Alta Vista in northeastern Kansas.
The town is less than an hour's drive outside of Topeka in Wabaunsee County.
Local authorities did not release information about extensive damage after the twister passed, but PowerOutage.us reported at least 200 customers in the rural county lost power.
“Usually the first storm that lifts and goes away gives you an indication of how the day is going to go. And it's in that time frame that the low-level jet is really starting to tear up here. . . . The tornado threat has increased quite a bit judging by this The first storm that got here – we're still looking primarily for a hail threat tonight,” said FOX Weather Storm Tracker Corey Gerken.
The NWS office covering the Topeka area was tasked with the damage survey and found that two EF-2 tornadoes touched down in the area, but damage was limited to trees and outbuildings.
In other counties, hail was the biggest story, with more than 100 reports across several states.
During the peak of the activity, forecasters warned some communities in the Kansas City subway to take shelter and stay away from windows.
The largest hail occurred in the southwest Kansas City metro area. Storm watchers reported hail larger than baseballs.
The hail was significant enough that traffic backed up on Interstate 70 near the Kansas-Missouri state line.
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The severe weather threat is not over as Thursday's focus will shift south and east of where storms hit communities on Wednesday.
The first will stretch from southern Iowa and northern Missouri to central Illinoiswhile the other will be located further south than east Oklahoma and in East Texas Louisiana and
“Actually we have a Level 3 out of 5“The fact that the Storm Prediction Center triggered this for Thursday earlier says something.”
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The setup will be very similar to Wednesday's. Near surface conditions low pressure system and the warm front will likely lead to an arc super cells throughout northern Missouri, Illinois, and southeastern Iowa.
If you live south of the warm air front, you could see thunderstorms that produce tornadoes, strong wind gusts and hail larger than 2 inches. However, any storm moving north of the front will likely produce only hail.
In the south, storms should break before one dry line Across Oklahoma and northeast Texas starting in the early afternoon, the FOX Forecast Center said.
With the temperature expected to stay around 80 degrees and dew points In the 60s, abundant atmospheric energy will be available. This will combine with moderate wind shear to create supercells capable of producing all severe weather hazards.
It remains somewhat uncertain how the initial supercells will develop throughout the evening, the FOX Forecast Center said. If united they form a pinch linethe risk of destruction straight winds will increase before the storms weaken overnight.
The threat from strong to severe storms will likely continue through friday from east texas to Southeast as the main front is caught along the South.
A string of rainy days is possible through the weekend for locations that do not need additional rain. Jackson, Mississippiit is currently experiencing its fourth wettest start of the year and is again in the eye for heavy rain.
Several days of heavy rainfall will result in 3-plus inches across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabamawith possibly even higher amounts.
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Original article source: FOX Weather Storm Tracker cameras capture video of intense tornado sweeping across the plains
