National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Weather and Flooding Threat in the Central U.S. and Mid-Atlantic; Dangerous Heat in the West and Southern Plains

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected across the central High Plains into parts of the central and southern Plains and in the the Mid-Atlantic today. Intense, dangerous heat will persist across the West, Southwest, and Southern Plains into the end of the week. Elevated to critical fire weather conditions expected in the Great Basin and Four Corners region. Read More >


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The above image is a radar loop of the supercell severe storms that moved across the Midlands Saturday afternoon. The time of this loop runs from around 4 pm until 8 pm.

Below is a still radar image of a classic supercell thunderstorm from this event. The strongest storms which spawned tornadoes and produced the most damage all showed a couple of similar characteristics. The first is the hook (A) that is evident in the reflectivity pattern on the southern side of the supercell. This is the location where a tornado would be expected. Another is the very high reflectivity values (B) in the northern part of the supercell, which is indicative of the large hail that accompanied many of these storms, as large as golf balls.