Meteorologists are warning millions of Americans to prepare for a dangerous storm system expected to sweep across a wide swath of the country on Friday.
Forecasters say parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin could be in the bull’s-eye as the system intensifies.
Wind gusts could reach about 80 mph and storms are capable of producing large hail and tornadoes.
The threat follows severe weather that already brought damaging winds, hail and tornadoes from Texas into Kansas through Thursday night.
Authorities in northern Oklahoma said a mother and daughter were killed after powerful winds and a tornado struck the area.
Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci of MyRadar warned that Friday could deliver the worst impacts of the outbreak.
“Friday, March 6, 2026 could feature the season’s first widespread severe weather threat along I-35 in classic “Tornado Alley”.”
“The main hazards are large hail up to hen egg size and damaging winds, but there’s a decent chance of some tornadoes too.”
Forecasters said the severe threat is set at a Level 3 of 5 on Friday as the dryline pushes farther east across the central U.S.
Winds roughly 5,000 feet above the ground are expected to strengthen north toward Kansas City and south toward Oklahoma City and Dallas, fueling instability that can produce fast-moving supercells.
A large tornado was spotted west of Fairview, Oklahoma, and local officials said the tornado may have produced EF3-strength winds of 136 to 165 mph.
AccuWeather warned its moderate-risk area Friday includes major metro regions such as Dallas, Oklahoma City and Kansas City, Missouri, with storms expected to push east toward Chicago by Friday night.
Forecasters expect two main storm waves on Friday.
The first could form in the mid- to late afternoon as a low-pressure system tracks across Kansas and the Missouri Valley, creating conditions ripe for supercells and very large hail.
Strong tornadoes may also develop Friday evening from Kansas City to Wichita to Oklahoma City.
Overnight, as a cold front pushes east and southeast, damaging winds, hail and tornadoes could stretch from Illinois down through Oklahoma into northeastern Texas.
The storm threat is expected to linger into Saturday with a cluster of storms possibly extending from southern Texas into western Tennessee and northwestern Alabama.
Those Saturday storms could bring hail, damaging winds and flash flooding in some areas.
Farther northeast, forecasters also expect damaging thunderstorms from the eastern Ohio Valley into the Allegheny region of Pennsylvania and into western New York, with large hail, strong wind gusts and heavy downpours as the main threats.
Officials are urging people to have multiple ways to receive warnings, especially overnight, and to know where to shelter in advance.
Mobile homes are especially dangerous in high-wind and tornado situations and residents are encouraged to identify a sturdier shelter option before storms arrive.
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