A dangerous weather system is expected to sweep across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas on Tuesday, with forecasts calling for hailstones as large as baseballs and damaging winds, threatening millions of residents and putting property at risk.
Why It Matters
Meteorologists are advising residents across four states that severe thunderstorms could be possible on Tuesday.
Forecasts warn that the potential for property damage is high, especially in areas where storms repeatedly develop. Baseball-sized hail—roughly 2.75 inches in diameter—can crack windows, shred crops, and disable solar panels, insurance industry data shows. In high-risk zones, residents are urged to secure property and prepare emergency plans.
What to Know
According to AccuWeather, Tuesday’s threat zone stretches from northeast Kansas through Oklahoma to western Texas and extreme eastern New Mexico. Forecasters warn that the largest storms may produce hailstones capable of causing severe roof and vehicle damage, along with wind gusts strong enough to topple trees and power lines.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines told Newsweek that it is hard to narrow down a particular location where the large hail might fall, but there could be increased chance from west Texas up into Oklahoma. He warned the entire forecast region should be prepared for the possibility.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no severe weather threats have been issued for the impacted areas by the National Weather Service (NWS). However, several NWS offices have issued a hazardous weather outlook warning of the incoming storms’ potential.
The latest storm threat comes just days after a severe weather outbreak over the Easter weekend brought over 435 reports of hail, tornadoes, and damaging winds across the Plains and Midwest. In Nebraska, storms with 82 mph wind gusts and hail up to the size of baseballs caused widespread structural damage in Fremont, according to The Weather Channel.
Additional storms over the weekend battered Oklahoma and Texas. In Ada, Oklahoma, an EF1 tornado damaged buildings, while in Moore, two people were killed when their vehicle was swept away in high water.
The severe weather threat will continue throughout this week, shifting slightly to the west on Wednesday to impact western Kansas, western Nebraska and eastern Colorado, as well as parts of Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. By Thursday, the extreme weather threat will stretch from northwestern Kansas south through central Texas.
By Friday, storms will stretch further east to impact the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, where floods could become an issue given recent strong storms have already caused floods in the impacted areas earlier this month. Flash floods will become a hazard considering the “repeating” nature of the storms, AccuWeather meteorologists warned.
What People Are Saying
NWS Dodge City, Kansas, in a hazardous weather outlook: “Locally severe storms possible south of a Stafford to Greensburg and Ashland line after 5 pm.”
NWS in Lubbock, Texas, posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday: “Warm and quiet conditions this morning with highs in the 80s. Things change by the afternoon where we expect scattered thunderstorms to develop west of the I-27 corridor. Main threat with storms that develop will be capable of large hail and damaging wind gusts!”
What Happens Next
The storm threat is expected to persist throughout the week. Hazardous weather outlooks issued by the NWS warn that “thunderstorms producing locally severe weather” could pop up on Wednesday evening in Kansas. In some areas, excessive rainfall will be possible.
Severe storms could return to the Texas and Oklahoma area by early next week, Kines said.
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