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Strong To Severe Storms Blast Through The Plains

Posted at 5:44 PM, May 19, 2013
and last updated 2013-05-19 21:39:51-04

NORMAN, OK. – Strong to severe storms have been tearing through the Plains the last two days. All the way from North Dakota, through Nebraska and Kansas, and in to the Southern Plains of Oklahoma and Texas.

The Storm Prediction Center received 22 reports of tornadoes across the Plains on Saturday, and thus far, more than two dozen reports have already been logged today from Oklahoma, to Kansas, to Iowa, to northern Illinois. The attached photo shows strong to severe thunderstorm cells and supercells (thunderstorms with rotating updrafts) developing. All the red boxes indicate tornado watches in effect. In fact, almost a dozen states are under a tornado watch.

This is the same system that will turn our West Michigan weather unsettled and wet from Monday through early to mid-day Thursday. We remain in a slight risk for severe weather both Monday and again on Tuesday. Click here to see the Monday outlook, and click here to see the Tuesday outlook.

We’ve received some reports of baseball sized hail, roofs being ripped off houses, semi-tractor trailers overturned, and trees snapped in half like matchsticks. While I don’t expect storms to be that magnitude Michigan, it’s the same system (low) that will be tracking through the state and affecting our weather most of this upcoming week.

Perhaps the good news is the start of our upcoming Memorial Day weekend looks dry on Friday and Saturday, but thunderstorm chances increase again late on Sunday. Get the forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.