High Plains, Texas Remains At-Risk of Severe Thunderstorms

Although nighttime has arrived, the High Plains and parts of Texas remain at-risk for severe thunderstorms tonight into Thursday morning as an upper-level disturbance comes off the Rocky Mountains and interacts with a warm and muggy airmass. 

The government’s Storm Prediction Center has placed two areas of Slight Risk (a 2 out of 5 on the severe weather scale) for a large portion of the High Plains just east of the Rockies from the Canadian border of western North Dakota and northeastern Montana southward to a large swath of eastern Colorado and a thin sliver of western Kansas into eastern Colorado and the Oklahoma Panhandle. The panhandle of Nebraska is also included in this area. This risk area includes the cities of Rapid City, S.D., Dickinson and Williston, N.D., Scottsbluff, Neb., Sterling, Colo., Garden City, Colby and Liberal, Kan. Another small Slight Risk area is present in southwestern Texas, including towns such as Fort Stockon, Texas.

Strong wind gusts and very large hail will be the primary threat within any robust thunderstorms tonight. However, a brief tornado cannot be ruled out along the Colorado Front Range as well. 

Make sure to frequently check WeatherBug for updates, as a watch can quickly turn into a warning upon imminent danger. It is important to stay prepared for active weather. Make sure you know the difference between a watch and a warning should they become issued. A watch means that conditions are favorable for severe weather to take place, whereas a warning means severe weather is imminent and you need to act fast to prevent damage to property or even loss of life. Remember, “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!”