Potential exists for severe weather Monday and Tuesday

Emergency Management Director Paula Cain has issued a warning about the potential for severe weather Monday and Tuesday.

Cain said  the National Weather Service advises that storms could start locally Monday afternoon due to very unstable conditions.  She said if we see storms this early, it will likely be large hail and damaging winds more than tornadic.

Chances for severe weather will increase on Tuesday for most of the area, Cain said, although Ponca City’s risk will be slightly lower.  Any storms that reach Kay County could include hail the size of golf balls, wind gusts up to 80 mph, very heavy rain fall and a few tornadoes.

These storms will develop along a dryline in the Texas panhandle and move east across our state. As happened Sunday, storms will arrive here close to or after dark.