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More tornadoes could touch down Thursday in central U.S.

Posted at 6:45 AM, May 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-26 06:45:10-04

Tornadoes have been touching down in the Plains states since Monday.

And there could be even more come Thursday.

The day’s conditions provide “the perfect scenario for a severe weather setup across the central U.S.,” according to CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam.

Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; and Oklahoma City could all see large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, Van Dam said.

There is the potential for severe thunderstorms in the afternoon.

The National Weather Service has already reported several tornado warnings in Texas and Kansas early Thursday morning.

Strong storms are likely to head across Kansas into Missouri, where “hail and damaging wind gusts along with a couple of tornadoes remain possible,” the NWS said.

The central plains could continue to see clusters of strong storms — including isolated and intense supercells.

And parts of the Lone Star State near the middle and lower Rio Grande Valley could see hail storms.

There’s a marginal risk for storms as far north as Iowa and Chicago.

The damage

On Tuesday, a tornado in Chapman, Kansas, was on the ground for about 90 minutes, injuring people and destroying 15 to 20 homes, Van Dam said.

That was one of 12 twisters that occurred, he said.

Several people in Ford County, Kansas, reportedly were hurt in Tuesday’s storms, said Andrew White, a spokesman for the National Weather Service.

There were times when rare dual tornadoes hit the county, which includes Dodge City.

Brad Guay, a meteorologist who is a field assistant with the Center for Severe Weather Research, said: “The dual tornadoes in the photo (he posted on Instagram) were very impressive. I’ve never seen that in person before, and it’s unusual to have that occur.”

Jonesboro, Arkansas, saw more than six inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service — including three inches that poured down in a single hour.

The Austin area was also hard hit, with some areas getting more than six inches of rain Wednesday.