The FOX Forecast Center is tracking the risk of severe thunderstorms as we move into the second half of the week, with the highest threat expected on Thursday as a pattern known as an “Omega block” that has been dominating the weather across the U.S. begins to break down.
An Omega block is a weather pattern that occurs when a ridge of high pressure is sandwiched between dips in the jet stream, where areas of low pressure are usually found.
The name comes from the Greek letter Ω.
“Today it’s (the severe weather risk) very isolated,” FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minar said.
Thunderstorms are expected to set up along a dryline that will stretch from parts of southwestern Kansas to the Texas–Mexico border.
“We could see the potential for some thunderstorms to develop, bringing in a large hail threat and perhaps some gusty winds,” Minar said.
Most thunderstorms are expected to occur as we enter the late-afternoon and evening hours.
“They’re (the thunderstorms) going to continue to track into the early overnight,” Minar said. “Once we kind of lose some of that daytime heating, we’ll maybe perhaps lose some of that severity.”
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The risk of severe weather increases on Thursday, with powerful storms possible farther east.
Areas at risk of storms on Thursday stretch from the central Plains to the Texas-Mexico border and into northwestern Arkansas. However, the highest risk will be seen mostly across western and central Oklahoma and into Central Texas.
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The FOX Forecast Center said if supercell thunderstorms develop across the southern and central Plains during the afternoon, they will pose a large hail and damaging wind threat.
Conditions will also be favorable for some tornadoes to develop if the severe thunderstorms can maintain their strength during the afternoon.
Be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted of severe weather in your area.
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The risk of severe thunderstorms will continue as we close out the workweek, but at this time, the threat doesn’t appear to be as high as what is expected on Thursday.
Severe thunderstorms will be possible from Dallas to Laredo in Texas and in portions of eastern Arkansas, northern Mississippi and extreme southwestern Tennessee.