An extremely dangerous tornado outbreak is expected on Saturday over the Great Plains in the US, the National Weather Service is warning.
The areas of most concern will be in Oklahoma and Kansas, according to the reports. Oklahoma has already been experiencing the opening salvo of the dangerous storm system, after severe thunderstorms along with embedded tornadoes were observed late this afternoon near the town of Norman.
Warm, moist air flowing northwards from the Gulf of Mexico, which currently has record-warm waters, will collide with cold air funneling down from Canada, creating a highly unstable air mass capable of creating powerful super cell storms with the potential to form dangerous tornadoes that could remain on the ground for extended periods of time.
This is the second time the Storm Prediction Center has issued a "High Risk" forecast this year; the first "High Risk" forecast came during the March 2 tornado outbreak, which killed 41 people and did $1.5 - $2 billion in damages in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee.
It is also highly unusual (and disturbing) for the SPC to issue a "High Risk" forecast more than a day in advance of a suspected tornado outbreak. People living in the threatened areas need to monitor the news at all times on Saturday and be on the alert for severe weather.
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