Forecasters Warn East Texas to Brace for Hail and Damaging Winds

Forecasters are alerting east and northeast Texas residents to be on the lookout for strong to severe storms from Wednesday afternoon through early Thursday morning. These storms are expected to produce hail, damaging straight-line winds, heavy downpours, and a few tornadoes are possible.

The map above indicates that a large 'enhanced' swath from Little Rock through the ArkLaTex through much of north-central Texas is at the highest risk for severe weather.

Northeast Texas has a better chance of storms and flooding than Deep East Texas. The Tyler/Longview area has a 70-80% chance of storms today and this evening, while  Nacogdoches has a 60% chance and Lufkin has a 50% chance.

Biggest Storm Threats

Although tornadoes, straight-line winds and isolated flooding are possible with these storms, forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center believe that very large hail could be the biggest threat.

The hatched area in the map above includes Dallas, Tyler, and Texarkana. Hail the size of ping pong balls are a possibility in this region.

Flooding Threat

Heavy downpours are possible over much of east Texas, however, widespread amounts of 2 inches or more are expected to be confined more to the north of Nacogdoches.

Counties such as Cherokee, Rusk, Smith, Gregg, and Panola could be in for some isolated areas of flooding.

Memorial Day Weekend Outlook

Thursday will bring a slight chance of more storms across East Texas, however, plenty of sunshine and heat are expected for the upcoming holiday weekend. You can expect highs in the mid-90s with a slight chance of rain moving back in by Memorial Day Monday.