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SPC Issues Severe Thunderstorm Watches for Much of Texas as Supercells Organize

Forecasters warn the main hazard is shifting from large hail to dangerous straight-line winds.

Overview

  • Severe Thunderstorm Watches 196 and 197 were posted Sunday for west, central, north-central and south-central Texas, with risks that include hail up to 2.5 inches and isolated wind gusts as high as 80 mph.
  • Storms are expected to start as hail-producing supercells and then merge into fast-moving clusters that raise the threat of widespread damaging winds through the evening.
  • A brief tornado cannot be ruled out near fronts and outflow boundaries, though the primary concerns remain large hail and strong straight-line winds.
  • Following Saturday’s Watch 194 over western Oklahoma and the eastern Texas Panhandle, SPC logged multiple hail reports near 2 inches and a measured 66 mph gust at KAVK, supporting the earlier large-hail focus.
  • Outside the core Texas risk, SPC tracked isolated severe potential from the Gulf Coast to the Lower Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes, including a 54-knot gust in McAllen on Saturday morning, but most areas did not warrant new watches due to limited storm coverage.