Heavy snow expected in Texas, storm could spawn tornadoes
A woman walks in the snow while shopping on Brookside Wednesday, Dec 30, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla. (Photo: Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP)
AUSTIN, Texas: A winter storm moving across southwestern Texas on Wednesday (Dec 30) could dump more than 30cm of snow before moving eastward and possibly spawning tornadoes in parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on New Year's Eve, according to weather forecasters.
The storm produced what Grams said was a likely a brief tornado in Corsicana, Texas, about 80km south of Dallas shortly before noon Wednesday.
More than a dozen mobile homes were damaged in Corsicana, Navarro County officials said in a social media statement, but no injuries were reported. Two other homes were damaged by fallen trees.
The Navarro County Office of Emergency Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jeremy Jeremy Grams, a forecaster with the National Weather Services’ Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. said 12 to 18 inches (30cm to 46cm) of snow is possible west of the Pecos River in southwest Texas and another three to 5 inches (13cm) in western Oklahoma by Thursday.
“That heavy snow swath is going to go through southwest Texas to western Oklahoma,” where 3 to 5 inches (8cm to 13cm) are expected, before moving eastward and threatening the Gulf Coast on Thursday as the colder air collides with moisture and warmer temperatures, Grams said.
“On the warm side of the system we have the chance for tornadoes from southeast Texas across most of Louisiana and at least into southern Mississippi,” Grams said.
Grams said a wintry mix of precipitation and a threat of tornadoes is uncommon, but not unheard of.
“I would not say it’s that odd, towards Christmas time, New Years, usually every few years we get an outbreak of tornadoes... it’s not every year that we get it, but this time of year... it’s cold enough and we have the Gulf moisture and warmer temperatures," Grams said.
Grams said any tornadoes would likely be classified as EF2, with wind speeds of 111 mph to 135 mph (179 kph to 217 kph), or below, compared to violent tornadoes which he said are those rated EF4 and above with wind speeds of 166 mph (267 kph) and higher.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday placed several state agencies on standby ahead of the storm. Meanwhile, another storm system dropped heavy snow across the Upper Midwest and led to winter storm warnings for parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
In Oklahoma, the state Department of Transportation reported wet and slushy roads on Interstate 40 in central Oklahoma on Wednesday, and extending along I-44 to Tulsa and that salt and sand was being applied to the roadways.
