OKLAHOMA ON ALERT! FORECASTERS ISSUE WARNING FOR RARE POWERFUL STORM, 3.4 MILLION PEOPLE AT RISK

The US forecasters have warned the central United States of rare high-risk powerful storms that may include long-track tornadoes, hurricane-force winds and baseball-sized hail. The greatest risk of bad weather can be seen in central Oklahoma and southern Kansas including areas Sulphur and Holdenville.

According to the National Weather Service, more than 3.4 million people, 1,614 schools and 159 hospitals in Oklahoma, portions of southern Kansas and far north Texas, face the most severe threat of tornadoes.

Oklahoma braces for storm

Nearly 10 million individuals reside in areas potentially affected by severe weather, as indicated by the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. Schools and colleges statewide, including the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Public Schools, closed early and cancelled afternoon and evening activities.

Oklahoma’s State Emergency Operations Center, active since last weekend’s fatal storms, remains engaged, and the state agencies were asked by the state’s commissioner of public safety to let most of their workers across Oklahoma leave early on Monday.

Bill Bunting, the Storm Prediction Center’s deputy director, emphasised the rarity and seriousness of the high-risk designation, urging extreme caution. The last such alert was issued on March 31, 2023, coinciding with severe storms across several states. Anticipated cities under threat include Kansas City, Missouri, and Lincoln, Nebraska, with storm intensity expected to escalate rapidly, particularly in western Oklahoma and south-central Kansas, potentially spawning dangerous tornadoes.