tornado weather

The majority of tornadoes this year have blasted through states in the Midwest and Southeast, including Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Iowa. Tornado activity has been increasing east of the Great Plains in recent decades.

The National Weather Service has lost hundreds of employees since President Donald Trump took office, and its severe storm forecasts may be suffering. Two tornado outbreaks this year, one in Kansas, took forecasters by surprise. Some meteorologists warn that further cuts will create a new cluster of blind spots.

Spring storms in Texas can bring heavy rain, flash flooding, tornadoes — and hail. Sometimes the hail is pea-sized and harmless. Other times, it's big enough to smash windshields, shred roofs and leave homeowners with costly repairs. But there is still a lot about hail that we don't fully understand.

At least two people have died from a severe tornado-producing storm that hit northern Texas, and many homes have sustained major damage.

On June 8, 1966, an F5 twister touched down in Topeka, Kansas, killing 17 people and injuring hundreds. All of these years later, some locals still wonder if it happened because the city ignored an urban legend.

A local weather phenomenon holds that the 6,100-person town of Tonganoxie, Kansas, can weaken and divide thunderstorms and tornadoes. Experts are mixed on its existence — and what causes it — but locals say otherwise.

Severe weather has gripped Texas this year — from tornadoes tearing through the South Plains to wildfires in the Panhandle and, most recently, deadly floods in the Hill Country. In Lubbock, where the city's outdoor siren system was activated for the first time earlier this summer, emergency officials emphasize that layered alerts and personal preparedness remain essential to staying safe.

Oklahomans are bracing for another round of severe weather Monday.

"The very discussion about reducing our investment in our scientific research and our weather forecasting causes me to have stomach cramps," Rep. Frank Lucas said.

Norman is a nexus of national weather and climate science. But swift layoffs and deep budget cuts could disband it and other organizations nationwide.