Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued in Texas

The Texas State Capitol is seen in a thunderstorm on April 21, 2023 in Austin, Texas. A severe thunderstorm threatening large hail is expected over northeastern Texas on Sunday.

A swathe of northeast Texas is under severe thunderstorm warnings and watches on Sunday morning as damaging winds and tornadoes are expected in the region.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said in a forecast on Sunday that a low-pressure system, coupled with moisture and instability in the atmosphere, would bring heavy showers and thunderstorms over the Gulf Coast states.

It comes after meteorologists warned that a powerful atmospheric river storm that brought severe impacts to California last week would continue to move eastward, causing a wintry mix of precipitation over Western states.

“Some severe weather is expected, and this will include a concern for strong damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes,” it said, with eastern Texas into Alabama anticipated to be the most likely areas to be affected on Sunday before the front moves into the rest of the Southeast on Monday.

The meteorological agency issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Rusk, Upshur and Cherokee counties, as well as Smith and Gregg counties, until 8 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET), after a severe thunderstorm was tracked over Tyler moving east at a rate of 35 miles an hour.

Hail of up to two inches has already been reported. The NWS warned that people and animals outdoors would be injured by the precipitation, and that residents should “expect damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles.”

“SEEK SHELTER NOW inside a sturdy structure and stay away from windows!” it urged.

As well as the severe weather threat, the NWS said heavy rainfall is forecast across the mid-south and southeast—possibly enough “to produce at least an isolated threat for flash flooding where any areas of showers and thunderstorms train over the same area.”

At the same time, a “significant” winter storm is anticipated to move across the southern Plains on Sunday, bringing heavy snowfall across portions of the southern Rockies and High Plains. Additional snow accumulations of up to a foot are possible for parts of the Texas panhandle.

California was subject to areas of flooding and mudslides that saw trapped residents clinging to trees. There were at least 20 storm-related deaths in the state, according to The Associated Press.

The flooding prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency for several counties in Southern California on Sunday.

Atmospheric rivers are narrow channels in the atmosphere that can carry a large amount of moisture with them. They form when cold air from the Arctic meets warm, moist air from the tropics, cooling it to form heavy precipitation.

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