50 million people on alert for more severe weather in the Plains and Midwest
Nearly 50 million people across the Plains and Midwest are on alert for severe weather outbreaks, including tornadoes, from Sunday into Monday.
The new severe weather alerts follow a weekend of destructive storms that spawned multiple twisters in parts of Mississippi and Texas.
One person was killed and several others were injured during severe storms in Runaway Bay, Texas, on Saturday, according to Wise County, Texas, officials. A supercell thunderstorm that tracked through the area produced baseball-sized hail and dangerous wind gusts.
The same supercell thunderstorm also churned up at least two suspected tornadoes, one in Runaway Bay, about 82 miles northwest of Dallas, and another in nearby Shannon, Texas.
The storm caused significant structural damage across multiple neighborhoods in Runaway Bay, resulting in at least 20 families being displaced, Wise County Judge J.D. Clark said in a statement.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Dallas-Fort Worth said it dispatched teams on Sunday to survey storm damage. The agency confirmed that one tornado that hit Runaway Bay on Saturday was rated as an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with peak winds of 135 mph.
The NWS also confirmed to ABC News that the death that occurred in Runaway Bay was the result of a tornado.
At least 12 unconfirmed tornadoes were reported late Saturday in parts of the Plains and Southwest, including five in Texas, six in Oklahoma and one in Nebraska. Hail larger than baseballs was reported in Texas and Arkansas on Saturday.
Plains and Midwest are in store for more severe weather
For Sunday, a level 3 out of 5 "enhanced risk" of severe weather is forecast for much of Kansas, as well as portions of western Missouri and southeastern Nebraska, including the cities of Wichita, Kan., Kansas City, Mo., and Beatrice, Neb. Tornadoes, as well as damaging winds and large hail, are possible across the area on Sunday, the NWS said.
A level 2 out of 5 "slight risk" of severe weather is also expected for parts of northern Texas, northwest Arkansas, western Missouri, southwest Iowa, southern Nebraska, most of Oklahoma, and much of Kansas, according to the NWS.
The greatest tornado potential is centered on Sunday over Kansas, where strong storms are expected to begin firing off around noon local time on Sunday, ahead of the severe weather developing later in the afternoon.
A flood watch has also been issued for areas in Kansas City and St. Joseph, Missouri, where two inches of rain or more is possible.
Severe weather continues into Monday
On Monday, the severe weather threat spreads northeast and stretches from the lower Mississippi River Valley up to the Midwest. A level 3 out of 5 "enhanced risk" of severe weather is expected on Monday for multiple cities, including St. Louis, Mo., Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Jonesboro, Ark., Evansville, Ind., Paducah, Ky., and Rockford, Ill.
A level 2 out of 5 "slight risk" of severe weather is forecast on Monday for Memphis, Tenn., Chicago, Ill., Milwaukee, Wis., Louisville, Ky., South Bend, Ind., and Mason City, Iowa. These areas could experience tornadoes, widespread damaging wind gusts, large hail and spotty flash flooding.
Monday's storm system is also expected to produce heavy rain across the central part of the country, causing isolated flash flooding.
Heavy rain is also expected in the Great Lakes region on Monday.
