tornado threat – A First Alert Weather Alert Day is in effect as severe storms threaten late afternoon, with tornado warnings and damaging winds possible before storms push through Sunday night.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Misryoum is tracking a fast-moving severe weather setup for the Kansas City area, with the biggest concern building late this afternoon and into Sunday night.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch covering parts of the region south of Kansas City. while severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings have shifted county by county as storm features change.. The timing matters: storms are expected to begin firing up around 4 p.m.. but the highest severe threat is anticipated after about 7 p.m.. as storms potentially organize into a more dangerous line and move through the broader area overnight.
What’s changing right now in the warning map
By 4:56 p.m., severe thunderstorm warnings were in effect for Bates, Linn and Miami Counties in Kansas.. Shortly after. some tornado warnings for specific counties were allowed to expire. including Linn County. Kansas. and Johnson and Miami Counties. Kansas.. At 5:01 p.m.. the severe thunderstorm watch was expanded to include additional Missouri counties—Johnson. Lafayette. Pettis and Saline—and the watch was extended to 8 p.m.
By 5:10 p.m.. the NWS canceled the tornado warning for Cass County. Missouri. along with Johnson and Miami Counties in Kansas. while also removing Jackson County. Missouri. from the tornado warning.. These kinds of updates are common during rotating or rapidly intensifying storm cycles: warnings can tighten. expand. or lift as radar signatures move. weaken. or shift.
The main threats: wind, hail—and a small tornado risk
Misryoum’s weather team is also watching for localized flash flooding. Even when the tornado threat is not the headline, heavy downpours can produce quick bursts of water on streets and in low-lying areas, particularly if storms train over the same neighborhoods.
Storm motion has been reported as eastward at roughly 35 to 50 mph depending on the warning area. which means severe conditions can arrive quickly and move through before anyone realizes how close the core is.. Gusts near 70 mph and quarter-size hail have been mentioned in the warning messaging. reinforcing why people should treat this as more than “just thunderstorms.”
When storms hit: late afternoon to Sunday night
After 7 p.m.. the severe threat is expected to rise as storms in central Kansas may converge and develop into a line. then enter eastern Kansas and push through the overnight hours.. That overnight period is where the event becomes more consequential: stronger storms are more likely to hold together. produce widespread damaging wind and hail. and raise the odds that any brief tornado risk pops up in the most intense pockets.
Flood watch still matters for Sunday night
Flood risk often lingers because ground saturation and drainage patterns take time to recover.. If storms slow down. regenerate. or keep a similar track for hours. water can accumulate in places that usually handle rain better.. Misryoum recommends people avoid driving through standing or fast-rising water and pay attention to road closures if heavy rain bands move over the same areas.
What to do if warnings change near you
For households in warning areas. the safest move is to treat a tornado warning like a call to act immediately: move to an interior room on the lowest floor and stay away from windows.. For severe thunderstorm warnings. be ready for damaging wind and hail—meaning cover up. protect vehicles if possible. and avoid sheltering under trees or in areas with scattered debris.
There’s also a practical timing benefit: if you’re heading out, do it before the evening window when storm organization is more likely to intensify. Once storms line up, travel can become risky quickly.
The bigger pattern: storms linger into Monday. then cool down
Even so. there’s still a chance for storms. and the severe threat is expected to “clip” into Misryoum’s coverage area rather than fully disappear.. Temperatures remain in the 70s today and tomorrow. but the rest of the week is forecast to be cooler and drier. with highs in the 60s as April winds down.
If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: Sunday night is where attention should be highest. Keep an eye on local warning updates, treat wind and hail as immediate threats, and don’t ignore flooding potential even when radar lines look “about to pass.”