TYLER, Texas — Get ready for a stormy Thursday! A powerful storm system is expected to move through East Texas Thursday and Thursday night. The Storm Prediction Center has outlined all of East Texas in either a moderate risk of severe weather or an enhanced risk of severe weather.
What does an "Enhanced Risk" mean? What does a "Moderate Risk" mean? An enhanced risk means numerous thunderstorms are expected. Typically an enhanced risk brings a threat of large hail and damaging winds with tornadoes possible. We often refer to an enhanced risk as a level 3 of 5. If enhanced outlooks are upgraded, it is typically to a moderate risk or level 4 out of 5.
Within the overall outlooks, the Storm Prediction Center or S-P-C breaks down the threats into damaging wind, large hail and tornado chances. If the threat appears significant, then a hatched area is placed over the individual threat. For example, Thursday, here in East Texas, there is a high chance we could see hurricane force wind gusts more than 74 mph.
Hatches over a tornado outlook means there is a chance of EF-2 or stronger tornadoes. Hatches over a hail outlook means hailstones could be slightly smaller than tennis balls. This is all possible Thursday evening as a powerful line of thunderstorms rolls through East Texas. Here's a recap of the timeline for severe weather Thursday.
Here's what we need you to do before Thursday evening. Don't wait to review your severe weather plan. If you live in a mobile home, make sure you plan to evacuate and know where you are going to go to take shelter. When a watch is issued Thursday, that's when you should go to the shelter. Don't wait until the severe storm is hitting to try and leave. If you haven't already done this, now is the time to download the CBS 19 app. You can watch our live coverage and get updates as the storm moves through East Texas. Thanks for reading the CBS 19 app. Make sure to check back through the day Thursday to get the latest updates.
