Central US faces a dangerous tornado threat as destructive storm stretch peaks

CNN

By Meteorologists Briana Waxman, Mary Gilbert

(CNN) — Parts of the central US are facing a serious threat of tornadoes and widespread damaging wind gusts Monday as a multiday severe weather outbreak enters what could be its most dangerous phase yet.

A Level 4 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms is centered mainly on parts of southern Illinois and eastern Missouri — including St. Louis — where the most significant threat of intense tornadoes, of EF3 or greater, looms later Monday afternoon. The risk level signals that the ceiling for danger is high if storms take advantage of plentiful fuel.

That danger is why a tornado watch tagged with a rare “particularly dangerous situation” label went into effect Monday afternoon for parts of the Mississippi Valley. The watch noted a few intense tornadoes were likely Monday, which is very serious language from the Storm Prediction Center.

Damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes also threaten nearly 40 million people across a broader zone from the Mississippi Valley into the lower Ohio Valley Monday.

The threat comes after days of severe weather have already carved a destructive path across parts of the Plains and South, producing more than 50 tornado reports since Thursday. These include a violent, preliminarily rated EF4 tornado in Enid, Oklahoma, deadly tornadoes in North Texas and multiple Particularly Dangerous Situation tornado warnings Sunday evening.

Monday’s storm threat raises the stakes

In addition to the Level 4 of 5 risk, a Level 3 of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms is in place Monday from parts of the middle Mississippi Valley into the lower Ohio Valley.

When new storms roar to life Monday afternoon, they could become supercells capable of producing a few potentially intense EF3 or stronger tornadoes and hail bigger than baseballs. As storms evolve through the evening, the line will likely produce widespread damaging winds, though the tornado risk will not fully vanish.

While the Level 3 and Level 4 risk areas hold the most likely environment for the strongest storms, the precise location of the greatest tornado potential isn’t fully set in stone Monday.

The greatest tornado risk area is likely to be near the ongoing thunderstorms in parts of Missouri and Illinois this afternoon, and to the south of that area. St. Louis is in this threat zone and could face additional intense storms through the evening after two separate tornado-warned storms moved through the area in the early afternoon.

Severe thunderstorm risks push east Tuesday. A Level 3 of 5 risk of storms is in place from Texas and Oklahoma to Mississippi, with a Level 2 of 5 risk stretching into more of the South.

Destructive wind gusts are likely to be the most widespread threat, especially from northeast Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley. Large hail and a few tornadoes cannot be ruled out either.

Relentless storms battered the central US this week

A violent tornado tore through Enid, Oklahoma, Thursday evening, triggering a rare tornado emergency and causing EF4 damage in parts of the city, with some areas flattened.

The Enid tornado, with winds estimated at 170 to 175 mph, was the strongest in the US since June 2025. At least 10 people were injured and about 40 homes were damaged, though officials said no deaths were reported.

Deadly tornadoes struck North Texas Saturday, including an EF2 tornado near Runaway Bay, about 80 miles northwest of Dallas. At least two people were killed and homes and infrastructure were damaged, displacing dozens of residents and expanding the toll of the multiday severe weather outbreak.

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Meteorologists Chris Dolce and Linda Lam and CNN’s Diego Mendoza contributed to this report.