Sunday, November 17, 2013 12:59 PM

Strong and Long Track Tornadoes Likely For Today

Matthew Holliday

As we continue to watch a strong storm system that has evolved as it moves across the United States, it has become very evident that this is a high risk day for strong and violent tornadoes and destructive winds. Environmental conditions are more than favorable to support the rapid development of supercells capable of producing strong tornadoes, some of which could be long-track.

With the current and anticipated environmental conditions, thunderstorm development is going to be quick, and with the high amount of shear that is in place, storms will quickly begin to rotate. Let me be clear that this is an extremely dangerous situation, and this event will be taking place across a highly populated area.

The Storm Prediction Center has issued a high risk for tornadoes and damaging winds for parts of Illinois, Indiana, western Ohio, and southern Michigan. Surrounding the high risk is a moderate risk, which includes eastern Missouri, a large portion of Kentucky extending into the lower Great Lakes region. All of the areas mentioned need to monitor this situation extremely closely.

Several large tornadoes have already been reported in Illinois, and tornado emergencies have been issued for several of these tornadic storms. We will continue to keep you updated on this life-threatening situation, and please follow us on Facebook for updates throughout the day!

SPC's Updated Convective Outlook

SPC’s Updated Convective Outlook