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Tornado Threat in Plains Follows Severe Weather in Texas

Two tornadoes were reported in the Lone Star state on Thursday - and more could be on the way over the weekend.
Map of storms in Austin, Texas.
Map of storms in Austin, Texas.The Weather Channel

Storms that battered central Texas, bringing hail and reports of tornadoes, could be a precursor to twisters in the Plains this weekend, a meteorologist warned Friday.

The severe weather produced softball-sized hail in parts of the Lone Star state on Thursday, before moving into the Austin area in the afternoon. There were reports two tornadoes in rural Burnet and Real counties, one of which blew the roof off a home, according to the National Weather Service.

Although the storm had weakened by Friday, Weather Channel lead meteorologist Michael Palmer said there would be increased threats of tornadoes on Saturday afternoon in the Texas Panhandle, Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas.

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"This will shift eastwards on Sunday, with the threat extending as far north as Wisconsin," he said.

Elsewhere, heavy rain was set to continue causing localized flash flooding down the east coast from the mid-Atlantic to New England. However, Palmer said there was little danger of widespread floods.

- Alexander Smith