Severe thunderstorms swept across the central United States on Saturday, the latest round in a multi-day stretch of dangerous weather that forecasters said could affect an estimated 40 million people from the Plains to the Midwest.
The Storm Prediction Center said the greatest risk on Saturday was over parts of the central Plains, including northeast Colorado, southern Nebraska and northern Kansas, where storms were capable of producing very large hail and damaging winds.
The tornado threat on Saturday was described as low but not negligible, and forecasters urged residents across the risk zone to monitor warnings and be ready to take shelter.
The unsettled pattern is expected to continue into the new week, with forecasters identifying Monday as potentially the most active day, when the severe threat could expand across a broader area of the central and southern Plains.
The system follows an active stretch of spring storms in the region, including earlier tornado activity farther south. Hail and straight-line winds are the most common causes of storm damage in such setups, though tornadoes pose the greatest danger to life.
The National Weather Service advised residents across the affected states to secure property, charge devices and keep multiple ways to receive warnings, noting that severe weather can develop quickly in the late afternoon and evening hours.