Powerful storm could spawn tornadoes; dangerous road conditions reported in Texas
Editor's note: Follow Paste BN's live coverage of Saturday's severe weather and tornados.
A powerful March storm is sweeping across the nation, unleashing a dangerous severe weather outbreak in the central and eastern U.S. on Friday and into the weekend.
The storm could be capable of spawning dozens of strong tornadoes, Accuweather warns.
The risk for tornadoes and severe weather expected to continue on Saturday afternoon and evening has been expanded across the eastern U.S and increased to the Storm Prediction Center's highest category across portions of Louisiana and Mississippi.
A "high" risk area is considered the most likely area for a potentially violent and long track tornado, said Chad Entremont, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi.
At least one death has been blamed on the extreme weather: KFDA-TV reported that a person was killed in a traffic pileup on Highway 60 in northwest Texas, where 80 mph winds were blowing dust and debris, making for low visibility. KFDA cited Bovina City Manager Cesar Marquez, saying the collisions involved three semis and four other vehicles.
The Parmer County, Texas Sheriff's Department said on social media that Highway 60 between Farwell and Bovina was closed Friday in both directions due to multiple vehicle accidents. The sheriff's office advised motorists to avoid the area, warning of zero visibility and "extremely dangerous" conditions.
The Texas Department of Transportation also reported closures of U.S. 70 and Interstate 40 due to a wildfire and "several traffic crashes."
High winds were overturning vehicles across New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, Weather.com reported. Governor Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for all 67 counties in Alabama through the weekend. A statewide emergency also was issued by Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe ahead of the expected storms tonight.
From late Friday afternoon through much of Friday night, the greatest risk of tornadoes will extend from central portions of Missouri and northeast Arkansas to southern Illinois, western Kentucky, western Tennessee and far northern Mississippi.
The same storm is also capable of producing clouds of dust and fast-moving wildfires in the southern Plains along with blizzard conditions for the northern Plains, AccuWeather said.
Other developments:
- Tornado watches were in effect across portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois on Friday evening.
- More than 250,000 power outages were reported across six states just after 7 p.m. Central Time in a swath from Texas to Iowa and Illinois, according to Paste BN's outage tracker.
- High winds of 70 mph – 80 mph were reported Friday afternoon by the weather service in locations in Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.
- In Corpus Christi, Texas, a high temperature of 98 degrees on Friday broke a daily record of 95 set in 1971.
By Sunday and Monday, the system will move to the East Coast, bringing risk of severe thunderstorms from Pennsylvania to Florida, Accuweather reports.
Severe weather outbreak expected Friday
A "regional outbreak of severe storms" is expected across much of the Mississippi Valley, eastward to the Lower Ohio and Tennessee Valleys late Friday afternoon into early Saturday morning, the Storm Prediction Center said.
Specifically, thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes will ramp up on Friday afternoon over the Mississippi Valley states and may quickly escalate into a very dangerous and life-threatening situation in portions of Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas before expanding into portions of Nebraska and Minnesota and unzipping southward to portions of northeastern Texas and Louisiana, AccuWeather said.
Cities at greatest risk for tornadoes include Memphis, St. Louis, and Des Moines, Iowa, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
Nighttime tornadoes are also a concern: "Strong tornadoes could strike after dark Friday, which is extremely dangerous, especially during the overnight hours while many people are asleep,” AccuWeather senior director of forecasting operations Dan DePodwin said.
“Please take time now to make sure your storm shelter or safe room is ready for use and stocked with emergency supplies in case a tornado warning is issued in your community."
Blizzard for northern Plains
Several inches of snow will fall over portions of the northern Plains, centered on the Red River Valley of the North, forecasters said.
"In part of the Upper Midwest, accumulating snow and potential blizzard conditions will follow a surge of warm air with rain and/or severe thunderstorms," AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Benz said.
Due to the pending snowstorm, the National Weather Service said that people "should consider delaying all travel. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution. Consider taking a winter storm kit along with you, including such items as tire chains, booster cables, flashlight, shovel, blankets and extra clothing."
Wind, dust, fire fears
The National Weather Service has also issued high wind warnings for a large portion of the Plains. "These alerts include Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Amarillo. Gusts could be up to 60 to 80 mph in the Plains Friday, depending on the location," Weather.com said.
Dry, warm and windy conditions will promote critical fire weather conditions across portions of the Plains on Friday and into the weekend, the National Weather Service said.
The Storm Prediction Center is warning of "extreme fire-weather conditions" Friday from parts of western Texas into southern Kansas, including parts of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Wichita, Weather.com reports, which added that for some, this is the highest fire weather threat since 2009.
How to be safe during a tornado warning
The National Weather Service offers these precautions to minimize risks during tornado and other severe weather warnings:
- Protect yourself from flying or falling debris, the single biggest life-threatening hazard.
- Seek shelter in the closest, safest interior or underground room.
- Always avoid windows.
- Don’t go to the windows or doors to look outside.
- Cover yourself with thick protective coverings, such as a mattress, sleeping bags, thick blankets or other protective coverings.
- Wear a helmet if you have one to protect your head from debris.
(This story has been updated to add new information and to correct a misspelling/typo.)