Tornado Watch Issued For East Texas Ahead of Strong Arctic Blast

A warm, muggy morning will give way to a powerful polar blast today across the eastern third of Texas. These colliding air masses are providing prime breeding grounds for severe storms.

Tornado Watch Issued For All of Deep East Texas

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma has issued a Tornado Watch effective until 6 pm Sunday for all of Deep East Texas and much of north-central Louisiana.

Showers and thunderstorms have been rapidly developing in front of and along the line of much colder and drier air.

According to the discussion from the Storm Prediction Center, a few tornadoes are likely with a couple of intense tornadoes possible (EF2+). Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts up to 75 mph are possible. Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter are also possible.
The greatest likelihood of an EF2 or stronger tornado (111+ mph) is in Louisiana and western Mississippi (hatched yellow area).

Prepare For the Frigid Weather

If you have not done so already, you should prepare for much colder conditions. Temperatures will drop into the 40s across much of East Texas this afternoon, and eventually into the mid-20s late tonight. A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect for East Texas through Monday morning.

Strong northerly winds gusting over 25 mph, at times, will drop wind chills into the lower teens by early Monday morning. A wind advisory is in place until mid-morning Monday for East Texas.

The cold air mass should stay with us for the week. By mid-to-late week, a wintry mix of precipitation should move into the Lone Star State. Just how far south that goes remains to be seen as several weather models have differing outlooks.

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