USDA Meteorologist: More severe weather is on the way!

Farmers in a big path of the nation’s midsection are bracing for more storms today.
It comes after the major tornadic outbreak over the weekend, impacting both rural communities and farm country.

USDA Meteorologist, Brad Rippey says that it is clear that we are now moving into the heart of the severe weather season.
“Maybe a little later than usual. Actually, we were in late April. A lot of times we see pretty significant tornadic activity a little earlier in the year,” Rippey explains.

Preliminary reports show a total of 137 tornadoes were reported over the weekend, with a peak on Friday of 86 storms.
Rippey says that there will be a very short break from this severe weather activity, as more rounds are expected today through the rest of the week.

“There is at least a slight risk of severe thunderstorms across the nation’s midsection those two days. On the 30th, we’re kind of focused on the same areas that got hit on the 26th— eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, extending into northeastern Kansas being the primary target area for Tuesday, and then for Wednesday afternoon, we’ll be looking a little further west, back across the Great Plains, Kansas, Oklahoma into north Texas, as the focus on May 1st,” according to Rippey.

He expects the severe weather to wind down by the weekend.

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