The Potential Of Severe Weather In East Texas Friday Is Real

UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the western counties of East Texas until 9 PM this evening. These storms are expected to slowly move into these areas later this evening/early tonight.

Stay weather aware! We will update you on all platforms as more information comes available.

OLDER:

We've been enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures the past couple of days that have made it feel like early sping in East Texas, but things are about to change. A pretty strong cold front is expected to move through East Texas Friday afternoon and with is comes the potential of severe weather.

KLTV 7 Chief Meteorologist Mark Scirto has been reporting on this weather event since Monday evening, warning us about this threat of severe weather. He states that the greatest threat is going to be winds associated with these thunderstorms. Wind speeds could reach as high as 70 to 80 m.p.h. and could spawn some tornadoes.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed all of East Texas under an Enhanced Risk of significant weather which is a 30% chance of strong to severe thunderstorms to move through. All of East Texas have been placed under a Moderate Risk of significant weather which is a 45% chance of strong to severe weather happening. This Moderate Risk area includes the cities of Carthage, Henderson, Kilgore, Longview, Center, Marshall, Jefferson, Gilmer, Daingerfield and Hughes Springs.

In addition to high winds and the possibility of tornadoes, there is also the potential of large hail and flash flooding as the storms move through.

Timing of this weather event seems to be late Friday afternoon in to the pre-dawn hours on Saturday.

We all need to make plans now and stay weather aware during while the storms are in our area. Mark Scirto says it best,

Please make sure you know where your Tornado Safe Spot is before you need it. Smallest, Windowless, Interior Room in your home. If you live in a mobile home, please make plans to stay in a sturdy location, away from your home, just to be on the safe side."

We will monitor the weather as it moves through East Texas tomorrow and if need be, we will interrupt normal programming and bring you severe weather coverage from Mark Scrirto and the First Alert Weather Center at KLTV 7.