OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Severe storms continued across Oklahoma Saturday, with tornadoes possible into the night, and record heat in parts of South Texas left people feeling the effects of the virus. Warns when temperatures reach triple digits On a long holiday weekend.
Though Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, the season doesn’t officially begin until four more weeks later.
The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, called Saturday a “ A pile of weeds soaked in gasolineForecasters said the storm could bring large hail, dangerous winds and tornadoes.
“With most of the game falling through, there is a small chance we will only have a few storms today. Still, it’s not a game I want to play. It only takes one storm to have an impact,” the office said on Facebook.
Unusually hot, especially for May. It’s dangerous in South Texas, where heat indexes are forecast to approach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) in some places over the weekend. Actual temperatures will be lower, though still in the triple digits, but with high humidity it will feel much hotter.
National Weather Service meteorologist Zac Taylor said the area is on the northern edge of a heat dome that stretches from Mexico into South America.
Taylor said Sunday is shaping up to be the hottest day of the year, with Austin, Brownsville, Dallas and San Antonio expected to set late May records for high temperatures.
Brownsville and Harlingen, near the Texas-Mexico border, already recorded new calendar day records for May 25 on Saturday, hitting 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), respectively, according to the weather service.
Red flag fire warnings were also issued for parts of West Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado. Humidity was very low, below 10%, and wind gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph) were recorded.
“Very dry air, warm temperatures and strong winds are creating increased fire danger over a wide area, which could cause fires to spread quickly or get out of control,” Taylor said.
Meanwhile, Rolla, North Dakota, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Canadian border, received several inches of snow from Friday through the early hours of Saturday.
April and May were busy months for tornadoes, especially in the Midwest. Climate Change Storms around the world are becoming more intense.
In April, the U.S. Second most frequent tornado outbreaks It would be the most powerful on record. So far, the nation is on track for 25% more tornadoes than average through 2024, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman.
Iowa was hit by deadly tornadoes this week, causing extensive damage. Destroyed GreenfieldOther storms also caused flooding and high wind damage in other parts of the state.
The severe weather storm is expected to move east as the Memorial Day weekend continues, dumping rain that could postpone the Indianapolis 500 race in Indiana on Sunday and bringing more severe storms to Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.
Forecasters said the risk of severe weather will move into North Carolina and Virginia on Monday.
