State Farm noted an increase of more than $1 billion in hail claim payouts between 2021 and 2022. (Credit: soupstock/Adobe Stock)
Severe weather continued across the central U.S. Monday as dangerous fire conditions developed at the heart of the chaos, the National Weather Service reported.
“All severe weather hazards are expected, to include tornadoes (some potentially strong to intense), very large hail, and severe winds,” according to the agency’s Storm Prediction Center. Meanwhile, parts of west Texas and southern New Mexico are experiencing critical and elevated fire danger due to dry, windy conditions.
More than 20 tornadoes touched down in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado and Kentucky over the weekend. Residents of some affected areas should continue to hunker down, particularly in Oklahoma. The storm system is expected to shift eastward by Tuesday, which would further threaten the Midwest along with the Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley, according to The New York Times.
In Kansas, sections of I-70 remain closed due to downed power lines and infrastructure damage. The town of Grinnell was especially hard hit by the weekend storm system. "We urge everyone to stay safe, avoid the area, and closely follow guidance from local authorities as severe weather continues to move across our state," Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, the small town of London located about 80 miles south of Lexington, was flattened by a weekend tornado. Local news reports indicate 19 people died in Kentucky from the storms, and roughly a dozen more perished around the country due to severe weather.
The chaos may not be over yet.
“Significant severe weather and heavy rainfall is likely from the central and southern Plains into the Ozarks today into tonight,” the National Weather Service reports. “Tornadoes, potentially strong to intense, large hail and damaging winds are possible.”
Some local weather outposts lamented the difficulty of tracking the storms and issuing timely alerts in light of recent staffing cuts spurred by the Department of Government Efficiency.
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