Tornado Watches Stretch From North Texas to Arkansas as Giant Hail and Night Tornado Risk Grow

Overview

• Tornado Watch 177, issued at 5:45 p.m. CDT Tuesday, covers parts of Arkansas, northern Louisiana, far southeast Oklahoma, and northeast to east‑central Texas.
• Supercells produced very large hail, with reports up to 3.25 inches, and an intense cluster moved across the Dallas–Fort Worth area with a risk for damaging winds and a tornado or two.
• As storms transitioned to surface‑based after sunset, SPC noted rising low‑level wind shear over Arkansas and the ArkLaMiss, where a few significant tornadoes were possible and additional watches or extensions were likely.
• By Wednesday, elevated storms over north Texas and the ArkLaTex kept large hail the main hazard in Severe Thunderstorm Watch 180, while a consolidating band in central and southern Mississippi under Watch 181 increased the threat for damaging winds.
• Forecasters linked the hazards to very moist, unstable air with CAPE of 1500–4000 J/kg—CAPE is a measure of storm fuel—beneath 50–60 knot deep‑layer shear and steep midlevel lapse rates, a setup that supports long‑lived supercells and large hail growth.