Wichita under tornado watch until 11 p.m. as threat of severe weather approaches

The Wichita area is under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. Monday.

The National Weather Service warns that severe weather could strike quickly in parts of south-central Kansas, central Oklahoma and north-central Texas. The weather service warns that the storms could pose a “particularly dangerous situation” – with the potential for powerful “long-track” tornadoes, softball-sized hail and wind speeds of up to 80 miles to l ‘hour.

“Explosive thunderstorm development is expected under this Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado watch across parts of Texas, OK and Kansas this afternoon,” the National Weather Service posted on X. “PDS tornado watches are only issued when multiple strong or violent tornadoes are expected to occur.

A tornado watch means weather conditions favor thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes. A tornado warning – which typically triggers tornado sirens and phone alerts – means a tornado is expected. If the watch goes into a warning, seek shelter immediately.

Tornado warnings were issued for north-central Oklahoma counties Monday evening until 6:30 p.m., including Enid, Helena and Lahoma. This storm system is expected to move north and east into Kansas Monday evening.

“Dangerous day”: Wichita in the area most at risk of tornadoes and severe storms

Here are the Wichita area schools and businesses closed due to possible severe weather