Tornado-spawning storms threaten Central U.S. after deadly outbreak
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Members of the London, Kentucky, community and from surrounding areas assist with clean-up in the Sunshine Hills subdivision on Monday following the deadly tornado storm in Laurel County two days earlier. Photo: Tasha Poullard/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
A deadly, tornado-spawning storm system was slamming the Central U.S. into Tuesday, as the Southeast braced for a fresh round of severe weather on the heels of a tornadoes.
The big picture: The National Weather Service confirmed at least four tornadoes in Oklahoma and Nebraska and some 8.7 million people in half a dozen states were under tornado watches on Monday night. Tornado warnings were in effect in Arkansas and Missouri.
- At least 28 deaths have been reported and tens of thousands lost power since the storms began slamming much of the U.S. last Friday.
- There were notable power outages in Missouri (more than 56,000 customers affected), Arkansas (over 34,000 customers) and Oklahoma (nearly 28,000 customers) early Tuesday, per utility tracker poweroutage.us.
Situation report: Among the areas being impacted Monday night into Tuesday was Oklahoma, where multiple roads were closed due to flooding or storm cleanup.
- "Take cover now! Tornado on the ground and headed this way," said the City of Wilburton, Oklahoma, in a Monday evening Facebook post.
- Multiple properties have been damaged since storms began in the state Saturday — with 10 homes and a fire station destroyed, per an Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management statement.
Threat level: Severe thunderstorms with "damaging winds and tornadoes" — some that could be strong — were expected Tuesday across parts of the Mid-South, Tennessee Valley and lower Ohio River Valley, per the NWS.
- "Heavy to excessive rainfall, which may lead to flooding, is expected," the NWS said.
- The NWS' Storm Prediction Center warned of a moderate risk, or level 4 out of 5 on the threat scale, of severe thunderstorms across much of the southern Plains and into western parts of the Mississippi Valley.
- "All severe weather hazards are likely: large hail, damaging winds, and a few strong tornadoes are possible," the NWS noted in a forecast discussion Monday.
Meanwhile, a moderate risk for excessive rainfall was active across most of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, per the NWS.
- "Storms are expected to expand in coverage and may train. Some locations could see 4-5 inches in the near term through the overnight," the weather agency said.
What we're watching: Kentucky has been among the worst-affected areas from the destructive weather system, with 19 people reported killed in tornado-spawning storms — and the NWS' Louisville office said on X more strong storms were possible overnight, with severe weather set to move through the area Tuesday night.
- This could include "damaging winds, hail, and possibly a few tornadoes," NWS Louisville noted.
- Some storms may move through overnight, but the "largest risk" of impacts was from noon-11pm Tuesday ET, said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in a statement posted to his social media accounts.
- "All of Kentucky may experience storms, but there is a heightened risk for dangerous winds, hail and tornadoes in the west," he said.
Between the lines: Climate change is causing extreme precipitation events to become more frequent in much of the U.S.
- It's been linked to more intense rainstorms across the U.S.
Go deeper: How climate change may be altering tornado outbreaks
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
