Tornado Watch Issued For Western, Central Oklahoma

Northeastern Oklahoma will see its chances of severe weather - including large hail, damaging winds and possibly tornadoes - go up beginning late Sunday.

Friday, May 17th 2013, 3:48 pm

By: News On 6

Tornado Watch Issued For Western, Central Oklahoma

A major storm system is expected to push its way into Oklahoma this weekend. Green Country residents are encouraged to stay weather aware over the next few days.

Oklahoma City and western Oklahoma saw large hail, damaging winds and downed power lines on Saturday evening. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for western and central Oklahoma through 11 p.m. Saturday.

Northeastern Oklahoma will see its chances of severe weather -- including large hail, damaging winds and possibly tornadoes -- go up beginning late afternoon Sunday.

"Sunday is when the real action begins for us," News On 6 WARN Team meteorologist Mike Grogan said. The slow-moving storm system from the west will meet up with a volatile atmosphere that "will give us a scenario for a classic severe storm outbreak," he said.

The severe weather threat will remain high well into Monday especially across eastern Oklahoma.

"Both days have a relatively high potential for tornadoes, and Monday may be the day with that higher potential centered over Green Country," Grogan said.

Meteorologist Dick Faurot noted on Saturday that there is also the potential for flooding rain. The precipitation map on the right shows northeast Oklahoma under a bulls-eye with the potential for up to 3 inches of rain, he said.

Read Dick Faurot's Weather Blog

Though severe weather is nothing new for Oklahoma, it will be following a long streak of relatively quiet weather, so re-examine your severe weather plan for those two days.

"Make sure you'd have a safe place to be at all times in case the weather turns ominous, especially during the afternoon and evening hours," Mike Grogan said. "It's a serious weather event, but it may take until Monday before everyone sees the stormy weather."

Keep checking back with NewsOn6.com for updated weather information as the front approaches.

You can track the storms as they develop with News On 6’s interactive live radar.

And NewsOn6.com has severe weather safety tips you might want to check out before the storms reach northeastern Oklahoma.