Parts of Texas are at risk for severe weather on Tuesday, June 23. Multiple rounds of storms are expected to move through the state’s northern counties and could produce large hail, damaging winds and a low tornado threat, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Forecasters at the agency’s Amarillo office say the system developed across the eastern Panhandles in the morning and will spread farther west this afternoon. Amarillo, Guymon and Canadian are among the cities under a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe storms. Hereford is under a Level 1 risk.
“The safer bet remains no thunderstorms for the afternoon, it’s just if they occur they can be powerful,” the agency wrote in its latest forecast discussion.
Residents in the area should monitor weather conditions before heading outside or driving. The most likely time storms could begin is 4 p.m., according to the NWS. They could last intermittently through 4 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24.
Meteorologists say the storms could produce tennis-ball-sized hail measuring 2.5 inches and 75 mph wind gusts. There’s also a low but still present chance a tornado could form, according to the agency.
The region has a 30% chance of rain during the day, when high temperatures are expected to reach 97 degrees. After sunset, rain chances increase to 40% and temperatures are expected to drop to around 68 degrees.
Heavy rain probabilities are highest across the eastern Panhandles, mainly Perryton and Canadian, where multiple rounds of storms are projected. Some areas could see between 1 and 3 inches of rainfall, which could lead to localized flooding, the NWS said on its website.
The severe storm risk remains on Wednesday, when a line of storms is expected to move out of New Mexico and into the Panhandles. Residents are encouraged to set up multiple ways to receive weather alerts.