Americans along the Mississippi River could experience some tornadoes and hail this Easter Sunday, as severe weather looks to spread from Texas up through the Ohio Valley
The center specifically issued an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms for much of Northern Arkansas, Missouri, and far western Illinois, and follows episodes of severe thunderstorms already underway in Texas.
The severe storm threat is expected to peak in the afternoon and early evening, with the most likely area for tornado development being from northern Arkansas into central Missouri.
Missouri and Illinois are expected to start with rain and thunderstorms early in the day, with storms forming in the early afternoon over eastern Kansas and Oklahoma, with a line of supercells possibly forming from the Iowa/Missouri border into Arkansas.
Those storms have a chance of generating hurricane-force winds (74 mph or greater), and a 15 percent chance of hail with a diameter of two inches or greater. This stands for a swathe of the south and Midwest from Shreveport, Louisiana, to the southeast corner of Iowa.
The weather could affect Easter Sunday for many Americans who would be spending the day outside of their homes, going to mass or church services, as well as brunch and other family gatherings typically done outside in the spring air.
Meanwhile, severe weather continues to hit Texas and the southern plains on April 19.
The weather prediction center released a warning earlier today saying, “Scattered severe thunderstorms are likely from parts of Texas into southern Missouri, mainly this afternoon and evening. Large to very large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes all appear possible.”
“Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5 inches in diameter possible,” the warning for along and 50 statute miles east and west of a line from 15 miles northwest of McAlester, Oklahoma, to 10 miles southeast of Mineral Wells, Texas, said, with “scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible.”
