OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Forecasters issued a warning about the heightened risk of dangerous tornadoes in the Midwest on Saturday and advised people in South Texas to prepare for triple-digit temperatures, all before summer officially begins.
The weather service in Oklahoma likened the day to “ a gasoline-soaked brush pile.” While forecasters couldn’t guarantee that storms would develop, any that do form could bring large hail, dangerous winds, and tornadoes.
“There’s a small chance most of the matches are duds and we only see a few storms today. Still, that’s not a match I would want to play with. It only takes one storm to be impactful,” the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, wrote on Facebook.
South Texas faces excessive heat for May, with the heat index expected to reach near 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) over the weekend. The region is situated on the north end of a heat dome that extends from Mexico to South America, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor.
Sunday is predicted to be the hottest day, with record-setting highs expected for late May in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and San Antonio, Taylor added.
By midmorning Saturday, the temperature in Brownsville on the U.S./Mexico border was nearing 90 degrees F (32 degrees), with a heat index of 104 F (40 C), as reported by the National Weather Service.
Red Flag fire warnings are also in effect in west Texas, all of New Mexico, and parts of Oklahoma, Arizona, and Colorado, due to very low humidity levels below 10%, wind gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph), and hot temperatures.
“We’ve got very dry air, warm temperatures and strong winds creating a high fire danger over a wide area … that can lead to rapidly spreading or uncontrollable fires,” Taylor warned.
Meanwhile, several inches of snow fell in Rolla, North Dakota, located about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Canadian border, from Friday into early Saturday.
April and May have seen a flurry of tornado activity, especially in the Midwest. Climate change is exacerbating the intensity of storms globally.
April recorded the country’s second-highest number of tornadoes on record. In 2024, the U.S. is already 25% above the average number of tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
Iowa has been particularly affected this week, with a deadly twister causing devastation in Greenfield. Other storms brought flooding and wind damage to different parts of the state.
The severe weather system is expected to shift eastward as the Memorial Day weekend progresses, bringing rain that could impact events like the Indianapolis 500 auto race in Indiana on Sunday, as well as more severe storms in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky.
The risk of severe weather will then move into North Carolina and Virginia by Monday, forecasters stated.
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