The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in southwestern Ray County, Missouri, at 21:47 CDT on May 18, 2026, causing tree and property damage before lifting at 22:06 CDT.
A Particularly Dangerous Situtation (PDS) Tornado Watch issued for northeast Kansas and southeast Nebraska on May 18, 2026, was followed by multiple tornado reports, hail up to about 7 cm (2.75 inches), and damaging wind reports across the central U.S. Preliminary SPC storm reports included 19 tornadoes, damage to farm structures, grain bins, trees, and power lines.
Giant hail up to 11.4 cm (4.5 inches) was reported in Johnson County, Texas, late on April 28, 2026, while a separate corridor of 7.6–10.2 cm (3–4 inches) hail caused structural and vehicle damage across southwest Missouri earlier the same day. The storms were part of a multi-state severe weather outbreak stretching from Oklahoma and Arkansas into Mississippi, producing widespread reports of large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes. Confirmed impacts included broken windows, roof damage, and an animal fatality at a zoo in Springfield, Missouri.
Severe storms moved across the Midwest on Monday, April 27, 2026, producing tornado warnings in the St. Louis area and Illinois, while heavy rain caused flooding into early Tuesday. More than 250 000 customers lost power across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and at least one fatality was reported in Michigan after a tree fell during the storms.
Severe thunderstorms are forecast across the Mid-Mississippi Valley and Mid-South on April 27, 2026, with the Storm Prediction Center placing parts of Missouri and Illinois under a Moderate Risk (Level 4 of 5). Multiple strong tornadoes, including EF3+ intensity, are possible alongside damaging winds and large hail.
Freeze Warnings have been issued across Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and southeast Missouri, with sub-freezing temperatures forecast overnight into March 28, 2026. The warnings are in effect from late March 27 through the morning hours of March 28, with minimum temperatures expected between −4°C and −1.5°C (24–29°F). Frost and freeze conditions are expected to damage crops, sensitive vegetation, and exposed outdoor plumbing.
Freeze Warnings and Watches have been issued for parts of eight southern U.S. states as sub-freezing temperatures are forecast from March 16 into March 17, 2026. Temperatures could fall as low as −12°C (10°F) in the coldest parts of Arkansas, while many other areas are expected to bottom out in the −7°C to −2°C (19 to 28°F) range. Frost, freeze conditions, and gusty post-frontal winds may damage sensitive vegetation and, in the coldest areas, affect exposed outdoor plumbing.
An Enhanced Risk of severe thunderstorms is in effect for parts of the Midwest on March 10, 2026, including northeast Missouri, southeast Iowa, northern and central Illinois, and northwest Indiana. The forecast environment supports the development of supercells and organized thunderstorm clusters capable of producing tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and large hail during the afternoon and evening hours.
A lifting frontal boundary draped from the southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic is producing a swath of mixed winter precipitation across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on March 2, 2026, while setting the stage for isolated severe thunderstorms in Oklahoma and Kansas on March 3. Winter weather advisories are in effect from Indiana to Pennsylvania, with ice accretion possible across the higher terrain of the Appalachians, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
Winter storm warnings and watches have been issued across a broad swath of the United States due to a long-duration winter storm forecast to affect the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley to the Midwest, Great Lakes, Appalachians, and parts of the Southwest.
