Updated May 21, 2019 - Science

In photos: Oklahoma and Texas hit by powerful storms

A tornado that hit Oklahoma in 2017. Photo: Jason Weingart/Barcroft Images/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

A tornado struck near Paducah, Texas, just after 3pm CST Monday, kickstarting a potentially deadly severe weather outbreak that's expected to continue to hit northern Texas and across Oklahoma through Tuesday.

Between the lines, per Axios' Andrew Freedman: An unusually powerful jet stream is roaring above the central and southern Plains, and there is plenty of wind shear (winds changing speed and/or direction with height) and powder-keg-like instability to trigger thunderstorms to erupt. Forecasters have warned of "significant threat to life and property" from this severe weather event, both from tornadoes and flash flooding.

Go deeper: "High risk" tornado outbreak underway in Texas, Oklahoma

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