Severe Weather, Possibly With Tornadoes, Is Forecast for Plains States

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/us/severe-weather-possible-tornadoes-plains-states.html

Version 0 of 1.

A severe weather outbreak gearing up to hammer the country’s midsection on Tuesday could spawn sustained, muscular tornadoes as well as softball-size hail showers, say forecasters, who also warned of additional rounds of storms to follow.

The day is expected to start out warm, if a bit windy, for a large swath of the Plains, from southern Texas up to Nebraska. By late afternoon, though, it could turn scary quickly and remain that way until after dark, meteorologists say.

Several major cities — including Dallas, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Kan., and Kansas City — lie in the storms’ potential path, putting lives and property in danger.

The storms could create “long-track” tornadoes that travel several miles and pack ferocious winds, said Bill Bunting, chief of operations at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

“Those typically are stronger tornadoes,” he said. “When we talk about strong and long-track, it typically implies higher intensity and more potential for damage.”

By that, Mr. Bunting added, he means powerful enough to knock down homes. “So they should be taken seriously,” he said.

Emergency services personnel across the region were forming response plans for Tuesday, gathering supplies, placing crews on standby and checking trailer homes.

In Oklahoma City, nestled in the heart of so-called tornado alley, Lara O’Leary of the Emergency Medical Services Authority noted that this would not be residents’ first brush with nature’s fury.

“Our medics are well versed in disaster,” Ms. O’Leary said. “Mother nature tends to pay particular attention to Oklahoma. If it’s not an earthquake, it’s a tornado, which brings flooding and all sorts of other calamities.”

At least two Oklahoma school districts preemptively canceled classes for Tuesday.

The storms are expected to taper off after about four hours, the National Weather Service said. But that won’t be the end of it.

On Wednesday, the threat of severe storms will shift east to an area including parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri. And later in the week, forecast models show, the Plains states face yet another round.

“It’s too far out to be specific,” Mr. Bunting said. “But this is going to be, unfortunately, an active week of severe storms across much of the U.S.”