1:10 p.m. UPDATE: The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a tornado watch until 8 p.m. for Gregg County as well as other counties to the north, west and southwest. The NWS says not only are tornadoes in the watch area likely, but scattered hail up to 2 inches in size as well as wind gusts up to 80 mph.
11:53 a.m. UPDATE: The National Weather Service in Shreveport has increased the threat level from “enhanced” to “moderate.” On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being marginal risk and 5 being high risk, we are now at level 4.
ORIGINAL STORY
According to the National Weather Service office in Shreveport, strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to begin affecting East Texas this afternoon and continue throughout the evening and overnight hours.
Damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes are all possible, with the NWS saying “a few particularly strong and significant tornadoes cannot be ruled out” in East Texas.
We will update this story as news warrants.
CBS19’S BRETT ANTHONY SAYS …
We had the chance to speak with CBS19 Chief Meteorologist Brett Anthony about today’s expected storms. Here are his thoughts:
What does the timing look like for today’s storms?
Anthony says we’re most likely looking at severe weather between 6 and 9 p.m. He has some concern that we could see a rogue storm crop up to the south and move north into our area. That could happen as early as between 4 and 4:30 this afternoon. He says that’s an outlier, but it’s not off the table.
What is his biggest concern?
Anthony says that long-track, strong tornadoes are a possibility. We’re experiencing a weather pattern we haven’t seen in a few years, he said, one with some similarities to the outbreak of March 2021. He said this is our first enhanced risk in four years.
What should we be doing now?
CBS19’s weather expert says everyone should review their emergency plan. He says you should know which room in your home is best (your innermost room with no windows) should you need to shelter in-home. If you live in a mobile home, you need to know where to go if a tornado watch (which he expects will come) or warning is issued. You should also make sure everyone in your family knows your plan. Should you need to shelter, he says, remember to take any important documents.
What should we be watching for?
According to Anthony, sunshine would be a bad thing for us, as it would create additional instability — adding fuel to the fire, from a weather perspective. We should also be monitoring for the issuance of any and all watches and warnings.
Schools
No Gregg County school districts have announced any alterations to their schedules. Across East Texas, the following districts have announced changes:
Crockett ISD: Dismissal at 1 p.m.
Frankston ISD: Dismissal at 2 p.m.
Fruitvale ISD: Dismissal at noon
Grand Saline ISD: Dismissal at 11:30 a.m.
Sulphur Springs ISD: Dismissal at 1:30 p.m.
Winona ISD: Dismissal at 2 p.m.
Power
As of 11:30 a.m., SWEPCO is reporting 516 total customer power outages. To view SWEPCO’s outage map and get real-time updates of the number of outages, click here.