Strange Days indeed.

God Bless everyone,

T

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https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/severe-weather-forecast-plains-late-may

A multi-day severe weather threat that is taking aim on parts of the Plains, Midwest and South this week is well underway. Large hail, damaging wind gusts and some tornadoes will be possible each day through late week. Clusters of thunderstorms could also cause some flash flooding.

There were multiple reports of tornadoes Sunday evening across Texas, Kansas and South Dakota.

A tornado touched down near Howardwick, Texas, and another tornado was spotted south of Interstate 20 near Big Springs, Texas. A large tornado near Waka, Texas, knocked down a quarter-mile row of power lines. In Kansas, a half-mile wide wedge tornado was reported near Lydia. No major damage has been reported in all of the areas mentioned above.

Hail the size of tennis balls (2.50 inches) led to broken car windows near Post, Texas, Sunday evening, and hail as large as teacups (3 inches) was spotted near Elbow, Texas. Farther north in Nebraska, hail coated the ground near Mullen, where severe thunderstorms left residents without power.

The rounds of thunderstorms throughout this week are being triggered by ripples of energy ejecting eastward from a southward dip in the jet stream across the West. That energy and its associated slow-moving frontal system is intercepting moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, allowing the thunderstorms to form.

Below is our latest forecast thinking on the timing and magnitude of this severe weather event throughout the next several days.

Severe Weather Forecast

Keep in mind that although our forecasts maps the next several days may show that a large area is at risk for severe weather, that not every single location will see damaging thunderstorms. Also, the magnitude of the severe weather threat and tornado potential may vary each day. Check back for updates.

Monday

Scattered severe thunderstorms are expected from parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin southward to Oklahoma and Texas.
Threats: Wind-damaging thunderstorms will be scattered over these areas. There also could be some spotty large hail and perhaps a few tornadoes. The greatest threat of tornadoes will be from western Kansas to western Oklahoma and west Texas.
Cities: Minneapolis | Omaha | Kansas City | Wichita | Okla. City | Dallas

Scattered severe thunderstorms are expected from Iowa and Nebraska southward to parts of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and north Texas.
Threats: Large hail, damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes are all possible.
Cities: Des Moines | Topeka | Tulsa | Wichita Falls, Texas

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Strange days indeed.

God Bless everyone,

T

@NewTHOR on Twitter

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http://www.weather.com/storms/typhoon/news/tropical-storm-etau-japan-flooding-landslides

Dramatic helicopter rescues unfolded on live television in Japan Thursday as a flood-swollen river breached a levee, sending raging floodwaters into a neighborhood north of Tokyo and leaving dozens of residents trapped on the roofs or upper floors of their homes. At least three people are missing in Japan due to flooding and landslides caused by extreme rainfall resulting from former Tropical Storm Etau.

Rare emergency warnings for heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides were issued for nearly 5 million people in two prefectures near Tokyo Thursday morning as torrential rain continued to inundate parts of Japan, flooding hundreds of homes.

Just after midnight early Thursday (Japan time), the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an emergency warning for heavy rainfall in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, where more than 20 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in some locations. (Japan is 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Daylight Time.)

Shortly before 8 a.m. local time Thursday, JMA added nearly all of Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, to the emergency heavy rainfall warning as the heavy rain band shifted ever so slightly to the east and rivers burst their banks as runoff from rain elsewhere drained into rivers flowing through the prefecture.

As Etau moved north into the Sea of Japan Wednesday, a trailing north-south-oriented band of heavy rain stalled over the Kanto region, including Tokyo. Even though Etau was declared post-tropical late Wednesday evening, the band of rain continued to bring torrential rainfall over Tokyo and points to the north well into the daylight hours Thursday.

The resulting rainfall has been exceptionally heavy. JMA said the rainfall amounts being observed are to be expected roughly once every 50 years in some areas, raising concerns of unusually serious flooding and landslides.

According to the Tochigi Prefecture government, a landslide early Thursday in the city of Kanuma left one person missing and another person injured. Kanuma reported 444 millimeters (17.48 inches) of rain in the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. local time Thursday; in records that began in 1976, this was more than double the city’s previous 24-hour record of 212 mm (8.35 inches) set July 11, 2002.

The incident was one of 17 landslides reported by the prefectural government as of midday Thursday. One home each was damaged in two of the landslides, and 11 people were trapped but later rescued in another of the incidents. The government said five people were stranded in Nikkō due to flooding on a local river Wednesday night; firefighters rescued them around daybreak Thursday.

The incident was one of 17 landslides reported by the prefectural government as of midday Thursday. One home each was damaged in two of the landslides, and 11 people were trapped but later rescued in another of the incidents. The government said five people were stranded in Nikkō due to flooding on a local river Wednesday night; firefighters rescued them around daybreak Thursday.

Meanwhile, JMA issued its highest level of flood warning for the Kinugawa River Thursday morning. The river drains southward through the prefectures north of Tokyo. Early Thursday afternoon, the river breached a levee in the city of Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Japan’s Self-Defense Force sent helicopters to the scene, plucking a number of people from rooftops and the top stories of homes near the stricken levee. Japanese television stations broadcast some of the dramatic scenes live as they happened during the early afternoon hours Thursday.

In one disturbing scene, two people were seen struggling to cling to the roof of what appeared to be a garage or shed as the structure began to crumble beneath them and collapse into the raging floodwaters. The television broadcast, streamed live on the website houdoukyoku.jp, quickly cut away from the images to show its in-studio anchors. The fate of the couple is not immediately clear.

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