Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Rounds of likely severe storms, flash flooding in Plains begin Tuesday

Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.

Millions in central US brace for likely large hail, damaging winds Tuesday

Starting later Tuesday, an active period of weather is in store for the Plains, including Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. A chance of either severe storms or flash flooding looks very possible each day into the first half of the weekend.

More than 3 million people have been placed under a level 2 out of 5 threat of severe weather on NOAA's Storm Prediction Center's risk scale. This includes cities such as Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland and Odessa in Texas, and Wichita in Kansas.

Hail and damaging winds will be the main threats from any severe thunderstorms that develop Tuesday afternoon, but there is also a low chance of some tornadoes.

Rainfall through Friday for the central plains will amount to a widespread 2-3 inches with some locations seeing closer to 3-5 inches, the FOX Forecast Center notes. For this reason, areas in Kansas and northern Oklahoma are now under a level 2 out of 4 flash flood risk from Thursday into Friday morning.

Rip currents turn deadly along Florida coast

Florida authorities are investigating the death of a late-teen male in Jacksonville's Hanna Park on Easter Sunday, suspected to be due to a rip current. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a drowning report around 5 p.m. and stated that foul play is not suspected, though the medical examiner will determine the cause of death. 

This tragedy follows a separate incident on Friday in Fort Lauderdale, where a 12-year-old boy drowned after being caught in rough ocean currents off Fort Lauderdale Beach. Despite lifeguards assisting other distressed swimmers, the boy was found later following a search by multiple agencies.

National Park Week: Great Smoky Mountains

National Park Week is underway, and the theme this year is National Park Playlist, which celebrates musical connections to national parks and the American story. Each day of National Park Week will have suggestions for things to do designated under a music genre. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country. Situated on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, it welcomed about 12.2 million people in 2024. Here’s a look at the park from a FOX Weather visit in 2023.

ICYMI: Passengers evacuated after Delta Air Lines flight catches fire at Orlando airport

A fire onboard a Delta Air Lines flight preparing for departure at Orlando International Airport prompted the evacuation of the aircraft, according to federal and local officials. 

The Delta flight 1213 from Orlando to Atlanta experienced an engine fire while on the ramp preparing for departure. The flight crew evacuated 282 passengers from the Airbus A330 using the emergency slides when they saw flames in the tailpipe of one of the aircraft's two engines.

Orlando International Airport's aircraft rescue and fire team responded to put out the flames.

Before you go

Here are a few more stories you might find interesting.

• Tennessee brothers continue late father's work to successfully protect family home from historic floods
• Texas geology students unearth bone of giant dinosaur in Big Bend National Park
• Could seashells help replace plastics? California researchers think so

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