Tornadoes Threaten Two States After Deadly Storms
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Storm Prediction Center has said there is an "enhanced" risk of "severe thunderstorms," potentially including tornadoes, across parts of northern Texas and of southern Oklahoma on Saturday.
The Context
At least 21 people were killed in Kentucky and Missouri after a series of powerful tornadoes ripped across multiple states on Friday.
What To Know
The NOAA warns there is an "enhanced" 30 percent chance of powerful storms, with "a couple of tornadoes...expected," across more than 33,000 square miles of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma encompassing a population of over 7.3 million on Saturday.
The area in question includes the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano and Garland in Texas along with a slither of southern Oklahoma along the border with the Lone Star State.
Part of Centennial Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri, collapsed on Friday, May 16, 2025 following severe storms.
Part of Centennial Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri, collapsed on Friday, May 16, 2025 following severe storms.
Michael Phillis/AP
In its summary, the NOAA said to expect "[s]evere thunderstorms producing large to very large hail, damaging gusts and a couple of tornadoes are expected across the southern Plains. Additional severe storms are possible across the Northeast."
There is also a "slight" 15 percent risk of severe thunderstorms covering a large area in the south including a swath of Texas extending to the Mexican border, most of Oklahoma and Arkansas and parts of southern Kansas and northern Louisiana.
A separate 15 percent thunderstorm risk has been announced by the NOAA for nearly all of Vermont along with parts of New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York.
Map showing severe thunderstorm risk on Saturday produced by the NOAA. The most likely area shown in red is in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma.
Map showing severe thunderstorm risk on Saturday produced by the NOAA. The most likely area shown in red is in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma.
NOAA
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said he expects the death toll to rise beyond the official figure of 14 following Friday's devastating tornadoes in his state, which also killed seven people in Missouri and left thousands of customers without power in Wisconsin.
What People Are Saying
In its forecast, the NOAA said: "Water vapor imagery depicts a pronounced southern stream upper-level trough over the Baja Peninsula this morning, with evidence of a lead impulse approaching southwest TX.
"This leading impulse will contribute to ascent in the vicinity of a sharpening dryline across Western North Texas/Oklahoma by early afternoon. To the east of the dryline, extreme instability (MLCAPE in excess of 4000 J/kg) is expected to develop given the moist low-level air mass and relatively cool mid-level thermal profiles."
Cara Spencer, the mayor of St. Louis, said on Friday: "This is a hard night for many, many families. Our city is grieving tonight. The loss of life and the destruction is truly, truly horrendous. Our priority tonight and for the next 24 hours is life — protecting it, finding those who may be trapped, and getting them to safety."
Governor Beshear wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday: "Kentucky, we're starting today with the tough news that we lost at least 14 of our people to last night's storms, but sadly, this number is expected to grow as we receive more information. Please pray for all of our affected families."
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