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Another Round of Severe Storms Is Expected From Texas to Illinois Another Round of Severe Storms Is Expected From Texas to Illinois
(32 minutes later)
Communities across the country face another round of severe weather this week as regions in seven states recover from a powerful storm system that killed at least 32 people over the weekend.Communities across the country face another round of severe weather this week as regions in seven states recover from a powerful storm system that killed at least 32 people over the weekend.
Forecasters said a storm system was expected to develop on Tuesday after destructive tornadoes and strong storms barreled through parts of the South, the Midwest and the East on Friday and Saturday.Forecasters said a storm system was expected to develop on Tuesday after destructive tornadoes and strong storms barreled through parts of the South, the Midwest and the East on Friday and Saturday.
This next one could bring the potential for a “few strong tornadoes,” large hail and damaging wind gusts from Texas to Illinois, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said.This next one could bring the potential for a “few strong tornadoes,” large hail and damaging wind gusts from Texas to Illinois, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said.
Two areas are of great concern for Tuesday: One stretches from northeast Texas through Arkansas and into southern Missouri, and another takes in northern Missouri, southeast Iowa and much of Illinois.
The center said that in these regions the risk of severe weather was “enhanced,” the third-highest category on a five-level risk scale.
For Arkansas, Missouri and northeast Texas, the Weather Service said, “Confidence is increasing in the potential for rare and dangerous overnight tornadoes and damaging winds, and a moderate risk has been introduced for this region.” Instability in the weather system will favor strong tornadoes, which the service’s Storm Prediction Center described as “a rare case” during overnight hours.
Because of the expected severe weather, which could include tornadoes and hail, the Chicago Board of Elections urged residents to vote early, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.
“If they can, we urge Chicago voters to take advantage of the last day of early voting this Monday, April 3rd, and to return their Vote By Mail ballots back to any secure drop box in the city,’’ Max Bever, a spokesman for the board, said in a statement. “Don’t delay and vote today.”
Several portions of Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Waterloo, were also at a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms for late Tuesday afternoon and evening, the Weather Service said on Monday.
Marc Chenard, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said that the risks from the storms on Tuesday could be similar to the storm system that tore through several of the same states on Friday and Saturday.
“It looks like, again, there will be the potential for some organized clusters of thunderstorms,” Mr. Chenard said, adding that they could produce damaging winds “and even some strong tornadoes.”
Forecast maps for Tuesday bear a resemblance to those of Friday’s storm system, with higher risks for severe weather centered on portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
“No two storm systems are going to be identical, but it is a somewhat similar setup, just the way the whole system is evolving,” Mr. Chenard said, adding that the forecast could change.
While tornadoes can happen any time of the year, historically, tornado activity in most states tends to peak in the spring. Still, it is uncommon for communities to face such a damaging storm system followed by another just a few days later.
The recent severe weather comes just a week after a destructive storm system ripped through portions of the South, killing at least 26 people and flattening parts of Rolling Fork, Miss.
“It’s not necessarily normal to have potentially higher-end events fall on each other, but it is the time of year where that can happen,” Mr. Chenard said.
After ravaging at least seven states, the storm system that started on Friday continued tracking east on Saturday, producing strong winds and heavy rain.
Videos circulated online of a possible tornado on Saturday in Howell Township, N.J. Survey teams confirmed on Sunday that a tornado had struck near Jackson Township, N.J.
The Weather Service received more than 300 reports of strong winds on Saturday, including one wind gust of 98 m.p.h. in Sussex County, Del., where officials said one person died in a structure collapse and where the Weather Service said a tornado struck on Saturday.
President Biden on Sunday approved a disaster declaration for three counties in Arkansas, which will provide federal funding for recovery efforts.
Livia Albeck-Ripka and Johnny Diaz contributed reporting.