Severe Weather Possible Tonight in the Ozarks

It's somewhat ironic: it's severe Weather Awareness Week, and there's a chance for severe weather tonight in the Ozarks. KSMU's Michele Skalicky has more...

The National Weather Service wants you to have a plan in place in case a tornado warning is issued in your area. And that plan may be needed later today. Steve Lindenberg is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Springfield...

"We have another strong storm system that's currently looks like out in the desert southwest, and it's going to quickly push into the southern plains and into the Ozarks later this evening. We're going to see increased moisture during the day today from the south in advance of this system and that should help destabilize the atmosphere so that late afternoon, more than likely,after 6, 7 o'clock, we'll see some strong to severe weather develop."

Lindenberg says the severe weather tonight will include the possibility of tornadoes...

"There's quite a bit of sheer associated with this storm system just like yesterday's, and if we can get some pretty good instability, and we should with temperaturesreaching the low to mid 70s today, then we'll have the ingredients that we need for large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes."

Lindenberg says you should keep a weather radio nearby and pay attention to changing weather later today. If a tornado warning is issued for your area, move to the basement or an interior room of your home or business.Temperatures today will reach the low 70s, but Lindenberg says they’ll be closer to normal tomorrow—in the mid to upper 50s.