Severe thunderstorms threatened parts of the Southern Plains on Sunday, where damaging winds, hail larger than baseballs and a few tornadoes were expected, forecasters warned.
The storms were expected to develop starting by the middle of Sunday afternoon. Forecasters expressed the greatest concern for parts of central and northeastern Texas into central and southwestern Oklahoma.
The Storm Prediction Center issued a level 3 out of 5 risk — or an enhanced risk — for severe weather for these areas on Sunday, warning of the possibility of hail of up to three inches in diameter and winds up to 80 miles per hour.
Parts of the lower Mississippi Valley and the Deep South were also expected to face rounds of severe weather, including strong damaging winds and hail, as the storms move east into Sunday night.
A couple of tornadoes were also possible on Sunday, especially for northeast Texas into southwest Oklahoma.
The Weather Prediction Center issued a level 3 out of 4 risk for flash flooding through Monday, focused on central Oklahoma into northwestern Arkansas.
The potential for thunderstorms was expected to continue on Monday, with large hail and damaging winds still the primary concerns. The highest risk will be across north and central Texas and into parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.
Large hail, some possibly bigger than golf balls, and damaging winds will be likely over central and western Texas.
Farther east, Alabama, Mississippi and parts of Louisiana may also experience scattered strong storms later on Monday afternoon, though the storm threat is expected to be lower in these regions.
John Pike, a forecaster at the Weather Service office in Norman, Okla., on Saturday called the weather “quite typical” for the lower Great Plains where spring thunderstorm activity usually peaks in May.
Amy Graff is a Times reporter covering weather, wildfires and earthquakes.
Nazaneen Ghaffar is a Times reporter on the Weather team.
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