Caitlin Connell

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Even though we just dealt with a tornado outbreak in the Plains last week and into the weekend, it's the middle of storm season, and the next low is on our doorstep. Today, a few tornadoes, pockets of large hail, and strong winds all pose a threat with the additional risk of significantly large hailstones over 2" in diameter and wind gusts 75+ mph. Both of these specific risks reach into the Northern Great Plains and farther south into the Central Plain (above).Related article: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/flood-threat-continues-in-the-plains">Flood Threat Continues in the Plains</a>The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a SLIGHT (level 2 out of 5) and ENHANCED (level 3 out of 5) risk for Tuesday. The enhanced risk reaches from Des Moines, IA, through Kansas City, MO, but storms will be possible from I-94 in Minnesota through West Texas.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/spc today-1714482969684.jpg">Isolated storms fire off around the peak heating hours of the day along our cold front and area of low pressure. Complex storms cluster into the evening hours as the frontal system moves east, especially in Minnesota, Oklahoma, and northern Texas, with storms continuing overnight. Please do not let severe weather fatigue get the best of you. Don't let your guard down, and be prepared for more strong storms.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/2024-04-30 04-32-02-1714473146560.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The severe weather risk continues Wednesday for central Kansas and much of the southern Plains. Another ENHANCED risk has been issued with threats similar to those on Tuesday. Once again, large hail (2" in diameter) and wind gusts over 75 mph are possible for the areas highlighted in orange in central Kansas.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/double sigs-1714485668006.jpg">Storms on Wednesday look to fire off of the same frontal boundary and, by the afternoon hours, nearly the same places as Tuesday. However, Wednesday's storms will be prone to more individual-in-nature storm cells that could produce damaging hail and tornadoes, especially from Western Kansas through West Texas. Overnight, these storms cluster into a strong line that blasts through Texas with damaging winds and heavy rainfall.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/2024-04-30 04-47-29-1714474073256.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>More storms continue into Thursday, with another severe weather risk stretching from the northern Plains to Texas. The threat is lower-end on Thursday as our atmosphere will be "worked over," but we will still see the potential for a few stronger end storms by the afternoon and evening hours. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/soc thu-1714485945067.jpg">

Lucy Bergemann

More Storms Target the Heartland Today

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Kevin Schneider

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High pressure along the East Coast has helped to bump temperatures into the 70's and 80's on Monday afternoon. Multiple records have been broken across the region (above), including D.C. and Baltimore, where temps soared into the 90s. Even a long-standing record from 1899 was tied in Cleveland, OH when the city hit 84 degrees Monday afternoon. There will be less potential to break records on Tuesday, with the warmest air over the mid-Atlantic. Showers and clouds will mean cooler temps in the Northeast through the end of the week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot 2024-04-29 161339-1714428828312.png">Showers and storms sweep across the Northeast today, with the opportunity for heavy rain. Even if you don't see a shower, the cloud cover will keep you cooler in New England. Highs will be on a bit of a roller coaster ride throughout the Northeast, depending on when the cold front slides through your region.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/2024-04-30 07-53-48-1714485386397.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Forecast accumulation indicates the chance of seeing up to 3" of rain in localized spots of the Northeast. This warranted a low-level tier of a flood threat from in the Northeast Tuesday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/Tuesday rain totals-1714476864594.jpg">

Record Highs Hit in the Northeast, Rain Tuesday

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Flooding has become a very serious component of our nearly week-long severe weather threat that's still ongoing. Some places in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma have seen well over 9" rain in the past few days, contributing to the elevated concern for flood threats. The ground is already highly saturated in many states. We can't stress enough how important it is to adhere to any flood alerts that may be issued in the upcoming days.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/rain totals-1714478022969.png">Related article: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/another-round-of-strong-storms-targets-the-heartland">Another Round of Strong Storms Targets The Heartland</a>Our field correspondent Jonathan Petramala was in Grovetown, TX when it was under a flash flood emergency on Monday morning. He said the water smelled of sewage when the drainage systems were overwhelmed. <div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1784900436136497638" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1784900436136497638"></div>The next three days bring a flood risk, including a risk of flash flooding. In much of the Central U.S. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday there is a marginal and slight risk for flooding. Tuesday's slight risk is a relatively smaller bullseye in eastern Kansas, but Wednesday and Thursday will be much broader from the Northern Great Plains into the Western Gulf.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/2024-04-30 05-25-52-1714476417344.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>One silver lining to this forecast is that much of the Central Plains is dealing with drought conditions. The data below is from April 23, 2024. We'll get another update on this chart on Thursday this week. This rainfall will no doubt help alleviate some of the drought concerns but remember that too much of a good thing can turn bad.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/drought-1714478228596.png">

Flood Threat Continues in the Plains this Week

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Alana Cameron was born and raised in Canada in the city of Mississauga, just outside of Toronto. Alana is the oldest of 4 siblings, all close in age, and grew up playing outside with them in all types of weather. After graduating high school, Alana moved to study at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna for a year before transferring to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she completed a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Atmospheric Science. Upon completion, Alana moved back to Toronto where she completed a post-grad degree in Meteorology at York University. After her post-grad, she went on to complete another post-grad in Broadcast Journalism - TV News at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. During her final year of studies she had the privilege of interning with the best in the business in Canada at The Weather Network. Once she finished her internship, she got the call from small-town Denison, Texas where she accepted a job as an on-air meteorologist at KTEN-TV, right in tornado alley, covering severe weather from Sherman/Denison (North Texas) to Ada (Southern Oklahoma). After the most active tornado season Oklahoma had seen in May 2019 (105 tornadoes!) Alana is excited to join WeatherNation to cover weather all across the nation. If you're interested in following her on social media she can be found @alanacameronwx!

Alana Cameron

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UPDATE: The National Weather Service out of Norman, Oklahoma, has upgraded the rating of the Marietta tornado to EF-4 with estimated peak winds of 165-170 mph, a path length of 27 miles, and a path width of 900 yards. Unfortunately, this tornado brought at least one fatality to Love County. This tornado developed southwest of Marietta and moved north-northeast over I-25 before moving into Marietta towards Lake Murray and Dickson.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1785021848498876600" src="https://twitter.com/NWSNorman/status/1785021848498876600"></div>Here's a look at the destruction our field corresponded Brandon Clement observed upon daylight on Sunday.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1784689042388668902" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1784689042388668902"></div>The town of Sulphur, OK also took a direct hit from a destructive tornado on Saturday night, with a rating of at least EF3. According to the NWS, estimated peak winds were 160-165 mph, path length was 7.5 miles, and width was 440 yards. Our Field Correspondent, Brandon Clement, took this video earlier in the day:Related articles: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/tornadoes-touch-down-in-nebraska-and-iowa-on-friday">Destructive Tornadoes Tear Through Plains Friday</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/Severe%20Weather%20Threat%20Monday%20From%20Texas%20to%20the%20Lower%20Mississippi%20Valley">Severe Weather Threat Makes it to the Gulf Coast</a><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1784590897423765833" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1784590897423765833"></div>Unlike Friday, Saturday brought in more than double the amount of hail reports compared to tornado reports. The red dots below are all reports of tornadoes, not yet confirmed, but reports.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/lsr-1714302865222.png">According to the National Weather Service, at least 25 tornadoes have been confirmed from this weekend.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/25-1714418757244.png">The hail was large and damaging, along with the strong wind gusts and the confirmed tornadoes that touched down. About teacup-sized hail fell in Fox, OK on Saturday, and we're sure that hailstones that large will easily cause damage.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot 2024-04-28 052810-1714303700198.png">This is a terrifying view of a tornado touching down in the rural area of Kendall, KS. You can easily see its wide base on the ground, along with much of the dust and debris that was picked up.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/VO_042724_RNC_NEAR KENDALL, KS_SHORTER VERSION OF TORNADO JOSH INTERCEPTED AND DEBRIS FLYING AT THE END_EMAIL_JOSH HEYNEN_DW_E042724-1714303991447.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Over 25 Tornadoes Touch Down in Oklahoma this Weekend

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WeatherNation Meteorologists

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Several teams of meteorologists and storm damage experts are actively investigating and surveying damage from Friday, April 26 across the I-80 corridor. According to the National Weather Service of Omaha, at least 5 EF-3 tornadoes have been confirmed.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/04-29 nws omaha-1714445003827.png">It all started when a tornado touched down in Lincoln, NE, just before 3 PM central time on Friday. This storm was tornado-warned for more than 50 miles as it tore through suburbs of the Omaha metro and eventually moved across the Missouri River and into Iowa. It has been confirmed as an EF-3 on the ground for 8.6 miles and with winds of 158 mph. This tornado struck Waverly, NE, a suburb on the NE side of Lincoln, where it derailed a train.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1783955995875565622" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1783955995875565622"></div>An EF-3 tornado was confirmed in Elkhorn, NE on the west side of Omaha. Winds were at 165 mph with this tornado. After the tornado moved through, our field crews observed high-tension power lines snapped in Elkhorn, NE, outside of Omaha. <div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1784243608318595371" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1784243608318595371"></div>There was a "tornado emergency" issued for the northern suburbs of Omaha, NE, at around 3:45 PM CT Friday as a result of the Elkhorn tornado storm cell. This is the highest level of tornado warning the National Weather Service can issue and signals that there is a confirmed tornado on the ground and an extremely dangerous situation unfolding. A traffic camera in the Omaha area caught the tornado. Another tornado warning was issued for Omaha, including downtown, and damage was confirmed in the region. Additional surveys will be conducted to determine the strength of tornadoes in Omaha. <div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1783961145100980348" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1783961145100980348"></div>Not only were there confirmed tornadoes in Nebraska, but numerous tornadoes also struck Iowa, impacting western and Central Iowa. There were 6 EF-2 tornadoes with winds of 111-135 mph and 2 EF-1 tornadoes. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/iowa-1714486552531.jpg">

Tornadoes Tear Through the Heartland Friday

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Originally born in Spokane, Washington,  Jackie's Dad was in the Air Force which led her to a life of travel. She has lived in Wichita, Okinawa, Japan, Baltimore, New Jersey, Indiana and South Carolina.  After graduating from Kadena High School, in Okinawa Japan, she got a full basketball scholarship to Coppin State College. On the court she was a 4-year starter and reached over 1000 points in her basketball career. She was also named Athlete of the Year for the whole university in 2002. Off the court, she earned a degree in Broadcast Production/English.

After college, she landed a job as a radio personality. Jackie went on to have a successful career for 12 years working at KXLY broadcast center. While on the radio, she decided to change career. Jackie went back to school, graduating from the Mississippi State Meteorology Broadcast Program. From snow, to tornadoes, to hurricanes, she has had experience forecasting all these events.

Jackie Brown

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The severe threat has lessened this evening and there is now a GENERAL risk for thunderstorms for the overnight hours and a low threat for severe due to the loss of daytime heating. An isolated storm will be possible, but there will be limited precipitation through the overnight hour for Texas and Louisiana.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/gggg-1714440061662.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h2>Flood Threat</h2>In addition to the severe weather, there is an ongoing flood threat. Many places in the Central and Southern Plains have already seen over 9" of rain in the past few days. This means the ground is already highly saturated in some spots, making it more likely to flood. The Weather Prediction Center has maintained a MARGINAL to SLIGHT risk for flash flooding through Tuesday morning in these areas.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/04-29 wpc through tonight-1714419623445.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/04-29 central-1714444898379.png">

A Few Storms Lingering Along The Gulf

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Torrential rain fell overnight around the city of Groveton, TX. Businesses and homes were inundated after more than 10" of rain fell overnight. <div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1784876454930415800" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1784876454930415800"></div>Watch back the radar loop from last night - notice when the rain starts and stops. <video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/Reflectivity Loop Groveton-1714394174198.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>A sensor just outside of Groveton by Caney Creek recorded 10.72" of rain overnight.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/6 hr rainfall ffe-1714394201020.png">All of that rain overwhelmed streets and drains leaving roads impassible in many locations. Just look at how high the water was on some cars our field correspondents saw late Sunday night.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/VO_042824_RSC_GROVETON, TX_DIFFERENT VIEWS OF CARS DRIVING THROUGH FLOODED WATERS_BRANDON CLEMENT_WHATSAPP_MR_E042924-1714394604232.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Flash Flood Emergency 30 Miles Outside of Lufkin Overnight

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A cold front continues to drop temperatures across the country's eastern half, prompting frost and freeze alerts through Monday; creating more hazardous cold for areas that have started their growing season. While you may have had colder temperatures this winter, spring blossoms, and blooms have begun in these areas, and locations under these alerts could be prone to vegetation damage.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/MONDAYYYYYYY AM-1713746984092.png">Typically the last freeze of the season is mid-April for areas in the central Plains, Texas Panhandle, and Appalachia. Do not be surprised if there are a few more cold nights ahead in the Plains before we hit our summer stride.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/last freeze-1713364391394.jpg">

Cold April Nights - Frost & Freeze Alerts Issued

More Storms Target the Heartland Today

Even though we just dealt with a tornado outb

Record Highs Hit in the Northeast, Rain Tuesday

High pressure along the East Coast has helped

Flood Threat Continues in the Plains this Week

Flooding has become a very serious component

Over 25 Tornadoes Touch Down in Oklahoma this Weekend

UPDATE: The National Weather Service out of N

Tornadoes Tear Through the Heartland Friday

Several teams of meteorologists and storm dam

A Few Storms Lingering Along The Gulf

The severe threat has lessened this evening a

Flash Flood Emergency 30 Miles Outside of Lufkin Overnight

Torrential rain fell overnight around the cit