Over 4 million people in the South, Plains, and East Coast face severe weather risks this weekend, including damaging winds, large hail, and potential tornadoes. Recent storms have already caused significant damage, such as EF2 tornado impacts in Washington County, Kentucky, and EF0 damage in Loudon County, Tennessee. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will start the weekend in parts of the Plains and East Coast, with areas in Kansas and Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa, under a slight risk of severe weather. This risk continues in Texas on Sunday, particularly for Waco, Bryan, and College Station, where storms are expected to primarily bring large hail and damaging winds, though tornadoes may occur.
In the West, 14 million people across California are under heat alerts, with temperatures expected to reach 95 to 110 degrees—10 to 25 degrees above average. Las Vegas and Reno may experience record-high temperatures. A record was set in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, reaching 96 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 95 from 1972. These high temperatures raise fire concerns, prompting alerts in parts of Nevada and California, as gusty 50 mph winds and low humidity create ideal conditions for fire growth.
Additionally, a strong cold front is pushing smoke from wildfires in Canada into the U.S., resulting in air quality alerts for over 20 million people across the Midwest, including areas in Minnesota and Michigan. Smoke and haze may extend as far as the Gulf Coast, but air quality is expected to improve by the middle of the upcoming workweek.
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