Severe Thunderstorm Warning Today: Live Radar, Impact Zones, and Urgent Safety Tips

Powerful late-spring storms are tearing across the Plains and Mid-Atlantic today, triggering multiple Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and a broader Tornado Watch that encompasses more than 30 million people. Forecasters at the National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center caution that this volatile setup could evolve into a derecho—a long-lived windstorm—capable of unleashing 90 mph straight-line gusts, destructive hail up to five inches in diameter, and isolated tornadoes from northern Texas through southern Oklahoma before racing east toward the Mississippi Valley overnight. Key threat zones • North Texas (Dallas–Fort Worth, Waco) through 11 p.m. CDT • Southern/central Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City and Norman, through midnight CDT • Mid-Atlantic urban corridor—Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia—Sunday afternoon and evening, where a new Tornado Watch is already in effect Atmospheric setup An energetic upper-level trough diving out of the Rockies is colliding with Gulf moisture and triple-digit heat bubbling over the southern Plains. This clash is producing extreme instability values (CAPE 4,000 J/kg+) and wind shear supportive of rotating supercells early, then bow-echo complexes capable of producing widespread wind damage after sunset. “All ingredients are in place for a potentially significant severe weather outbreak,” the SPC warned in its 20Z mesoscale discussion. What to expect • Hail: Anywhere from golf-ball to softball size, especially with initial discrete supercells in Texas and Oklahoma. • Wind: Widespread 70–90 mph gusts possible if a derecho materializes, knocking out power and toppling trees. • Tornadoes: A few could touch down quickly and be rain-wrapped, making them hard to see until too late. • Flooding: Training storms may drop 2–4 inches of rain in just a few hours, prompting Flash Flood Warnings overnight. Safety checklist 1. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on your phone and keep it fully charged. 2. Identify your safest interior room on the lowest floor—preferably a basement—well before warnings are issued. 3. Park vehicles in a garage or under sturdy cover to shield them from large hail. 4. Secure patio furniture, trampolines and trash cans; they become dangerous projectiles in 70+ mph winds. 5. Assemble a basic outage kit: flashlight, batteries, non-perishable food, bottled water and critical medications for at least 24 hours. Travel and event impacts Airlines at Dallas-Fort Worth International and Will Rogers World Airport have begun waiving change fees, while several outdoor concerts in Arlington and Tulsa are delayed or canceled. Amtrak warns of potential service suspensions on the Northeast Corridor should storms redevelop Sunday evening. Looking ahead Models indicate the threat shifts east of the Appalachians by Monday, but another cold front diving out of Canada could reload severe thunderstorm chances across the Midwest mid-week. Residents from Kansas City to Chicago should monitor updated SPC outlooks and local forecasts. Bottom line If you’re under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, treat it with the same urgency as a Tornado Warning when wind or hail criteria are “destructive.” Take shelter immediately, stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio and trusted local meteorologists, and do not venture outside until the all-clear is given.