LIVE SEVERE WEATHER COVERAGE BELOW:
2 am Update: The severe weather threat is over. Tornado Watch is expired for all of the region. Sabine and Natchitoches Parishes are still under a watch through 10 am. As the line of storms gradually moves to the east, I won’t be surprised to see some more storms later this morning. However, the storms should remain below severe weather limits. Monday looks dry. We will see another round of showers and storms for Tuesday.
11:00 pm Update:
Right now, we still have a Tornado Watch across the region until 2 am. The highest severe threat will be across the southern half of the ArkLaTex. The strong to severe storms will be south of Interstate 20. In the last hour, we are receiving reports of flash flooding across portions of East Texas. We will continue to monitor that threat into the overnight hours. Once the storms move out tonight, we will see the severe weather threat end across all of the area.
2:30pm Video Update: Strong to severe storms now moving into the northern part of the Arklatex. A severe thunderstorm warning has just been issued for parts of Little River, Sevier, McCurtain, Bowie, and Red River counties until 3:45 pm. The main threat from this line will continue to be damaging winds of over 60 mph. Tornado watch remains in effect until 8pm.
1 pm Saturday video update: Tornado Watch in effect for much of the area until 8pm. Line of storms near Dallas is moving east at around 30 mph. It will pose a wind and hail threat. We are also going to be watching the discrete cells that form ahead of the line. These will pose a tornado risk as we go through the afternoon. SPC still has an enhanced risk for our area. Widespread damaging will could be an issue as well as a strong tornado or two.
11:30 am Saturday video update: Line of strong storms is now moving into the Dallas area. Tornado watches in effect just to the west of our area. Expect those to be extended to the east later today. Damaging straight-line wind will be our biggest concern, but a few intense tornadoes again will be possible especially over the northern half of the area this afternoon and this evening.
8:30 am Saturday Update: SPC maintains enhanced risk for severe storms for later today and tonight. The main line of storms to arrive late this afternoon and move through the area this evening. It is also possible that we could see a few strong storms try to develop out ahead of the main line earlier in the afternoon. Widespread wind damage remains the biggest threat along with a few strong tornadoes and large hail.
6:30 a.m. Saturday Update:
The Storm Prediction Center has placed most of the ArkLaTex in their ‘Enhanced Risk’ outlook for severe storms today, This is level 3 threat on the 1 to 5 scale. This means numerous severe storms are expected, some of them intense. It still looks like damaging straight-line wind will be the primary threat, but a few tornadoes will be possible, as well as large hail, and isolated flooding depending on where the heaviest rain sets up.
Storms are currently ongoing in centreal Texas where a Tornado Watch is in effect. The main line of thunderstorms will likely enter the region during the mid-afternoon, but we will have to be on the lookout for any discrete thunderstorm development that occurs ahead of this during the early afternoon. If this occurs a strong tornado could be possible. The SPC is highlighting a hatched area over the ArkLaTex in their tornado probability outlook. This means there is 10% chance or greater of seeing an EF-2 tornado or higher within 25 miles of any point.
Click For Day 1 Wind/Hail/Tornado Probabilities.
Futurecast is coming into better agreement with the other forecast models in showing an afternoon arrival with storms continuing into tonight. Check with this article for updates throughout the day.
