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The National Weather Service updated its risk assessment for Friday evening for much of the northwest region to “moderate,” with the second-highest category of risk.
“Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to begin affecting the region in the late afternoon and continue through the evening and into the night,” the NWS said. “This threat will occur along a frontal boundary that will move east across the region with very hot and unstable air ahead of the front along with increasing shear. Damaging winds, hail and tornadoes will all be possible.
“A few particularly strong and large tornadoes cannot be ruled out, particularly in the western half of the region to include southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and adjacent areas of southwestern Arkansas and of northwest Louisiana.”
The moderate region includes parts of Marion and Rusk counties. The eastern half of the counties remain in the “enhanced” risk zone.
The National Weather Service said it would host a Facebook Live to discuss potential severe weather on its Facebook page at 1 p.m. today.
Regarding timing, the NWS said earlier on Friday that it expected storms to hit the western part of the region, including the Kilgore area, between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. More easterly parts of East Texas, including Marshall and Carthage, are expected to see the storms. from 6 p.m. to midnight. The NWS noted that these time estimates depend on the speed of the storms.
