Easter Sunday severe weather threatens 21 million as central US braces for tornadoes, damaging wind
A child is among at least two dead after flooding in Moore, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
Severe weather threatens millions in Plains, Midwest on Easter Sunday
Tens of millions of people from the Plains to the Midwest will be at risk of seeing severe weather on Easter Sunday. FOX Weather Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari breaks down the latest forecast on Sunday, April 20, 2025.
Millions of people from the southern Plains through the Midwest will need to keep an eye on the sky on Easter Sunday as the region faces the potential for seeing severe weather one day after deadly flooding and thunderstorms rocked portions of Texas and Oklahoma on Saturday.
At least two people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed after flooding swept their vehicle away in Moore, Oklahoma. There have also been several reports of possible tornadoes to the south in Texas.
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The severe weather threat will ramp up once again on Sunday as a powerful upper-level storm system moves from the Texas Panhandle into the Midwest during the day.
Watch: Tornado touches down near Hico, Texas
A dramatic video recorded near the community of Hico, Texas, shows a tornado touching down during severe weather on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
There were several reports of severe weather, including tornadoes, in Texas on Saturday. In the video above, a tornado can be seen near the community of Hico, Texas.
A rapidly strengthening low pressure center tracking into the Midwest will carry a potent warm front that will pull in more humid air, adding fuel for severe storms. Daytime heating will further destabilize the atmosphere, allowing thunderstorms to quickly intensify.
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NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) shows nearly 22 million people from Texas to Illinois at risk of seeing severe weather on Sunday.
However, the risk is higher in Missouri and Arkansas, where nearly 3 million people have been placed in a Level 3 out of 5 risk on its 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale. This includes cities like Springfield and Columbia in Missouri, and Fayetteville, Springdale and Conway in Arkansas.
Cities like Kansas City and St. Louis in Missouri, and Little Rock in Arkansas, are currently in a Level 2 risk.
Forecasters say threat from thunderstorms that develop on Sunday will include the risk of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.