Tornado Watch Issued For Northeast Oklahoma

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for all of northeast Oklahoma Saturday afternoon. 

The watch is in effect until midnight.

We have a very warm and very humid air mass in place across Green Country and you will certainly feel it when you step outside.  When you factor in today’s high humidity, heat index values could climb up to 100 or above. Please take it easy during the heat of the day and stay hydrated!

Weather Alerts

Of course as you’ve been hearing for most of the week, severe weather is also a significant threat, especially later in the day. 

Any scattered storms that get going in the late afternoon and evening hours have a high likelihood of becoming severe rather quickly thanks to our very unstable air mass. Storms today will be capable of extremely large hail (potentially up to baseball size or larger), damaging wind gusts to 80 miles per hour and tornadoes. Please stay very weather aware!

WARN Interactive Radar

During the late evening and nighttime hours from approximately 8 pm-12 am, a second round of storms is expected to develop near the I-44 corridor as a cold front surges into eastern Oklahoma. This round of storms may be a little more widespread and will likely develop into a squall line as it surges southeast across our viewing area. Damaging straight-line winds will remain possible in this time frame, along with the possibility of large hail and an isolated tornado.

If you are making any plans for outdoor events like Rocklahoma, or just making plans to head out to the lake, please have your severe weather safety plan already in place before you go. If a warning is issued for your area or even areas close by, you need to be ready to quickly head to safe, sturdy shelter. Remember: An RV, a mobile home, or a boat is NOT a safe place to be during severe storms.

Make sure you have multiple ways to receive severe weather alerts! One way to do that is by keeping the News On 6 weather app with you on your phone or tablet. You can set the app to alert you when warnings are issued for your specific location. It’s also important to check radar through our app or online frequently throughout the afternoon and evening, as storms may develop very quickly.

Storm chances look to diminish rather quickly after midnight tonight as that cold front surges into far southeastern Oklahoma. Fortunately, we look to be in for much calmer and much more pleasant weather on both Sunday and Memorial Day Monday.

The News On 6 weather team will keep you updated on any severe weather threats throughout the day and night.