Severe weather is expected in parts of Oklahoma
Meteorologists are expecting thunderstorms to hit parts of Oklahoma on Sunday into Monday, just days after predicting similar weather for northwestern portions of the state Friday.
The erratic climate patterns are largely the result of an upper-level trough and a low-pressure system cycling through the northern section of the Great Plains. The low-pressure “cyclone” is expected to extend a cold front through the Southern Plains and into Oklahoma Sunday.
“It’s going to be a very significant rainfall producer late Sunday and into Monday,” said Alex Zwink, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman. “This isn’t the worst setup you’d want to see if you’re looking for any sort of higher-end severe weather, but the potential is definitely there.”
Even if the risk of tornadoes isn’t especially high, experts with AccuWeather and the National Weather Service agree that severe weather is an ongoing concern during April and May.
“There’s a good shot that there could be more storms for Oklahoma and Kansas that could produce severe weather, large hail, and isolated tornadoes,” said Paul Pastelok, lead longrange forecaster at AccuWeather. “And it really could be any part of the state at any time, is what we’re seeing. It’s not your typical March-throughMay time period anymore.”
As the storms move eastward, areas of the Southeast and Gulf Coast could all be at risk for severe weather Tuesday into Wednesday of next week. Parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida — already still reeling from major thunderstorms and tornadic activity in late March — are the most high-risk areas.