Severe Weather This Weekend: What to Expect

(Springfield, MO) -- Scattered thunderstorms will be possible Saturday morning and again Sunday in the Ozarks, but the greatest risk of severe storms will be focused across Kansas and Oklahoma.

Storms in Kansas and Oklahoma will make their way northeast into western Missouri Friday evening. The air mass over Missouri is not as unstable, so storms are expected to weaken as they move east into the area.

There will still remain a threat for severe weather during the overnight, especially west of Highway 65, for large hail mainly.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is currently in effect for the border counties of Missouri through 10 p.m. Friday. Storms will move out of the area Saturday morning with mainly quiet and warm weather expected Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning.

The second round of storms will come through Sunday as the front pushes through.  It currently appears that instability may be a little lacking. The highest severe threat looks like it will be east of Highway 65 Sunday afternoon into the evening.

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Follow Chief Meteorologist Jamie Warriner (@JamieWarrinerWx), Meteorologist Chris Smith (@ChrisSmithWx) and Senior Meteorologist Ted Keller (@TedKeller) for updates.

This weekend, several weather service stations in Kansas and Missouri will be trying out new, more urgent warning language to urge people to find shelter underground - for example, that "catastrophic damage" may be in store.

"We want to make certain that we do every effort to make sure the people who receive those, can act on those and can make themselves safe," said Mike Foster, a National Weather Service forecaster.

It has been an unusually active and deadly spring. This March was the fourth deadliest on record.

Scientists say every second of advance warning can save lives.

"There's a lot of knowledge now and we understand better and are able to provide better lead times," Foster said.

Technological breakthroughs such as dual polarization radars are a big part of it. They allow meteorologists to distinguish between merely rain in a thunderstorm and much more telling airborne debris that could only be captured in a funnel cloud.

The radars will be called into action over the next few hours as the potentially catastrophic storm system casts a shadow over the nation's midsection -- putting 5.5 million people in danger over the next 24 hours from what the weather service calls very powerful "long track tornadoes."

Officials say Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska are in the danger zone over the next 24 hours. But the violent storm may well fan out as far north as Wisconsin by Sunday, as far east as Louisiana.