AUSTIN, Texas — Tornadoes were spotted in two central states Tuesday as the National Weather Service warned large swaths of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas could be hit by twisters, destructive hail and high winds.
There were reports of one tornado in Kansas and another in Oklahoma but no indication they caused any major damage or injuries.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch extending from Texas into southern Nebraska and a severe thunderstorm watch for large parts of Missouri and into Pennsylvania.
Hail as large as golf balls hit several areas in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma on Tuesday, the weather service said.
It did not elaborate, but hailstorms in Texas in late March and earlier this month hit major cities including Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, causing damage estimated at several billion dollars.
“Locally damaging wind and marginally severe hail also may occur from the lower Missouri and lower Ohio Valleys to the mid-Atlantic coast,” the weather service said.
Schools in Oklahoma City and several of its suburbs closed early Tuesday ahead of the severe weather.
In Missouri, high winds downed trees and snapped power lines, while winds in Illinois caused empty grain railcars to flip over, the weather service said based on local reports.