ornado Watch underway as Easter Sunday severe weather threat ramps up in central US
A child is among at least two dead after flooding in Moore, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
Powerful storms could pummel parts of Plains, Midwest on Easter Sunday
Tens of millions of people in the central U.S. are bracing for more rounds of severe weather on Easter Sunday one day after parts of Texas and Oklahoma were rocked by deadly storms. FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar 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.
A Tornado Watch was issued for portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri until 7 p.m. CT on Sunday.
This watch includes more than 5 million people in cities such as Joplin, Springfield and Columbia in Missouri; Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Little Rock in Arkansas and Shreveport in Louisiana.
The severe weather threat will continue to ramp up on Sunday as the 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 more than 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 more than 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.
Forecasters say threats from thunderstorms that develop on Sunday will include the risk of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.