FIRST WARN WEATHER DAY: Much of Kansas City metro included in tornado watch (2024)

Published: May. 25, 2024 at 7:00 AM CDT|Updated: May. 26, 2024 at 1:09 AM CDT

1:05 a.m. update: We are watching the second round for severe weather potential moving in mainly from the northwest. Storms are moving into the KCTV5 northwestern and western counties from Nebraska and Kansas. We still continue with damaging winds of 60 to 85 mph possible tonight along with hail, heavy rainfall and a few tornadoes possible. Please make sure you have several ways to receive alerts throughout the night tonight and have your devices charged. There have been over a hundred thousand power outages across the area due to damaging winds already tonight.

12:45 a.m. update: The first round of severe weather has moved through the area. The Kansas City metro remains under a tornado watch until 5 a.m. Sunday. There are widespread reports of tree damage in cities south of Interstate 70. The storm knocked out power to more than 140,000 people across Kansas and the Kansas City metro.

10 p.m. update: Tornado Watch for Atchison KS, Bates MO, Cass MO, Clay MO, Henry MO, Jackson MO, Johnson KS, Johnson MO, Leavenworth KS, Linn KS, Miami KS, Platte MO, Wyandotte KS is in effect until 5 a.m. Sunday morning. For any strong to severe storms that develop in the Tornado Watch: The hazards include - a few tornadoes with the potential for a couple of intense tornadoes, widespread damaging winds with isolated gusts of 80 mph possible and scattered large to very large hail.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Holt, Nodaway, Worth, Gentry, Harrison, Grundy, Daviess, Livingston, Linn, Caldwell, Saline, Carroll and Pettis Counties until 5 AM Sunday morning. Within the Severe Thunderstorm Watch the primary hazards include scattered damaging winds between 60-75 mph and half the size of golf balls possible. The tornado threat is low for areas in the Severe Thunderstorm Watch but one or two cannot be ruled out.

9:15 p.m. update: Tornado Watch has been issued for the southwestern half of the KCTV5 viewing area. This includes an area from Atchison County, KS to Clinton County MO to Benton County and areas south. This includes Kansas City and the KC metro area. For any strong to severe storms that develop in the Tornado Watch: The hazards include - a few tornadoes with the potential for a couple of intense tornadoes, widespread damaging winds with isolated gusts of 80 mph possible and scattered large to very large hail.

6 p.m. update: The potential for numerous strong to severe storms continues tonight with all severe weather threats on the table. The primary storm threat is damaging winds of 60 to 75+ mph but large hail of 1″ to 2″ in diameter, a few tornadoes and heavy rainfall of 1″ to 2″ are possible too. Flood Watch will go into effect at 1 AM Sunday into Sunday evening. The latest Storm Prediction Center Outlook has extended the Level 4/5 risk eastward into Bates and portions of Henry and Cass Counties. Please make sure you have several ways to receive weather alerts and have your severe weather safety plan in the event you need to use it tonight. We have made some slight chances to when storms may start to arrive into our area. We could start to see storms move in as early as 9 PM in southwestern/western areas. It may move into the metro area as soon as 11 pm and then move into eastern areas as early as 1 AM.

Storm activity will move in from the west and southwest tonight. Storm activity from the southwest will likely move into the area first between that 9 PM to midnight time frame. Then storms from our west move in around the midnight hour and transverse east southeastward through the area. We could be seeing the bulk of the storms in the metro around 2 AM to 4 AM.

After the overnight storms come to an end Sunday morning around 8 AM, scattered shower and storms will continue to be possible throughout the course of the day (mainly in the afternoon to evening hours.) We have a threat for isolated to widely scattered strong to severe storms tomorrow between 12 pm and 8 pm across the area with damaging winds and hail as the primary threats but one or two tornadoes are possible.

3 p.m. update: 1-2 inches of rainfall is possible across the metro, with isolated areas seeing up to 3 inches. There is a Flood Watch in place from 1 a.m. Sunday to Sunday evening.

Noon update: Tonight’s severe weather timing has not changed much compared to the 10 a.m. update. However, there is more confidence in storms entering the metro by 2 a.m. across all of our short-range models. The severe storm timing to enter our western counties continues to range between 10:30 p.m. and 12 p.m. What has changed is the predicted intensity of the storms around the Metro, and it has increased just slightly.

The information below has been changed to reflect this new data.

10 a.m. update: There has been a slight alteration across the board for the timing of severe storms to develop across our region. It is more confident that we could start around 10:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. in our western counties and the impact to the metro between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.

The information below has been changed to reflect this new data.

Saturday and Sunday are First Warn Weather Days due to an enhanced risk for severe weather that covers most of the Kansas City viewing area. The storms are expected to move into the area as early as 9 p.m. on Saturday and will likely dissipate in the early morning hours.

With an area of low pressure sliding off the Colorado Rockies and into the central planes tonight, it will develop a powerful warm front that expands clear over the region into the Tennessee River Valley. To the south of this low-pressure system is a significant dry line, which creates a major opportunity for instability to our atmosphere. We will then develop a powerful Southerly flow which brings in warm, moist, and unstable air. For these reasons, a significant severe weather risk has embedded itself across our Missouri River Valley.

We now have an enhanced risk over the metro for severe storms and a moderate severe weather risk for our southwestern counties. Within these locations, we have a significant threat of exceptionally damaging wind—this means the wind may push upwards of 70 mph. We also have a threat for large-size hail to develop, which could be in excess of 2 inches in diameter. Within the moderate severe weather risk areas, we’ll have a better opportunity for a few isolated tornadoes to form.

Timing for the storms has shifted. It is more confident that we could start around 10:30 p.m. to 12 p.m. in our western counties and the impact to the metro between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Despite these changes, we still advise our entire community to be prepared by 9 p.m. tonight due to the possible severity of these storms.

If you plan on camping tonight, please be advised that your camper, RV, or tent will not be sufficient shelter for these types of severe storms. A larger building with a sturdy foundation will be a better shelter. This could be a gas station, grocery store, hotel, etc.

The storms are anticipated to move through the region and exit the viewing area between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Sunday morning. With that being said, isolated showers and storms will still remain in Sunday’s overall forecast. There is a slight risk for severe storms to remain but mainly redevelop towards the late afternoon and early evening of Sunday. This severe weather redevelopment is expected to be more isolated with most of the storm activity north of I-70.

Luckily, all of the storm activity exits and high pressure takes over just in time for Memorial Day. Sunny skies will be coming Monday with high temperatures in the upper 70s.

Our next threat for storms is showing signs for late next week between Thursday and Friday as temperatures remain in the upper 70s and lower 80s.

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