Biggest Storm In Decades Arrives This Week

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:00]The biggest storm in history is arriving now. Prepare.

[00:00:03]Hey everybody and welcome back to another Max Velocity weather forecast.

[00:00:07]And I want to be very straightforward with you right from the beginning of this video. Because what we are tracking right now is not your average storm system and it is not something that I want you to take lightly for even a single second because the setup that is now coming together across the United States is one of the most significant and potentially historic weather events that I have seen in a very long time.

[00:00:27]And I do not use the word historic lightly on this channel because I know that word gets thrown around a lot in the weather world. But when you look at the totality of what is coming together right now with this system, the atmospheric ingredients, the scale of the threat, and the potential impacts across such a large portion of the country, I think it is entirely appropriate and I want to make sure that every single person watching this forecast understands what is coming and more importantly what they need to do right now to be ready for it.

[00:00:54]So let us get into this forecast and break everything down. So let us start with the big picture here because I think it is really important to understand why this storm is so different from what we typically see.

[00:01:04]And when we zoom out and look at the overall atmospheric pattern across North America right now, what we are seeing is a truly extraordinary setup. And it begins way back out over the Pacific Ocean where we have had an incredibly amplified ridge of high pressure that has been building and strengthening over the last several days. And when you get a ridge of this magnitude building over the Pacific, what it does is it forces the jet stream to dig very sharply southward as it moves into the continental United States. And the trough that has resulted from this pattern is not just any ordinary trough.

[00:01:36]We are talking about a negatively tilted trough of historic proportions that is now digging deep into the heart of the country and pulling with it an enormous amount of energy from the upper levels of the atmosphere. And it is that upper level energy combined with everything else that is setting the stage for what could be a truly generational severe weather and storm event. And now let us talk about the surface low pressure system because this is really where things get alarming and I want you to pay very close attention here because the rate at which the surface low has been deepening over the last 24 hours has been nothing short of extraordinary and meteorologists have a term for when a low pressure system deepens very rapidly and that term is bombogenesis and while that term is most commonly used for oceanic systems we are essentially seeing a land-based equivalent of that explosive deepening process with this storm and the central pressure of this low has already dropped to levels that we really do not see very often with continental storm systems and the models are suggesting it could continue to deepen even further as it tracks across the central United States over the coming hours and days and what that means in practical terms is that the pressure gradient around the system is going to be extraordinarily strong which translates directly into extremely dangerous wind conditions across a very large area. Now I want to talk about the wind threat specifically because I think this is one of the most underappreciated aspects of this storm system and when we look at the pressure gradient winds that are going to be associated with this low e or two what we're talking about sustained winds that could reach 50 to 60 miles per hour across a large swath of the central and southern plains and with gusts potentially exceeding 70 to 80 miles per hour in some locations and to put that in perspective those are borderline hurricane force wind gusts and we are talking about those occurring well away from any coastline in the middle of the country and these kinds of winds are going to be capable of causing widespread and significant damage to trees, power lines, structures and anything else that is not firmly secured and the power outage potential with this system is enormous. So please make sure that you have a plan for an extended power outage because in some areas we could be talking about outages that last for multiple days and of course with a storm system of this magnitude we also have to talk about the severe weather threat and the tornado potential because that is something that is very much on the table with this setup. And when we look at the wind shear values that are going to be in place across the central plains during the peak of this event, we are seeing numbers that are truly in the extreme category. And I am talking about 0 to 6 km bulk shear values that are running well above 100 knots in some areas, and those are the kinds of wind shear values that are associated with major tornado outbreaks, and not just a few isolated tornadoes, but the potential for a significant and widespread outbreak of severe thunderstorms including the very real possibility of multiple long-track violent tornadoes. And when I say violent, I mean tornadoes that could reach EF4 or even EF5 intensity on the enhanced Fujita scale, and those are the tornadoes that cause catastrophic and irreversible damage to anything in their path. So, where is the greatest risk going to be concentrated?

[00:04:40]And I want to be as specific as I possibly can here because I know that is what you need to know to make the right decisions for your family.

[00:04:47]And right now, based on the latest model data and the positioning of all of the key ingredients, the area that concerns me the most is a broad corridor that stretches from central Nebraska southward through Kansas and Oklahoma and into North Texas, and this is the zone where you are going to have the most explosive combination of instability, wind shear, and low-level jet enhancement. And within that broader corridor, the area that I think faces the highest risk of violent tornado development is roughly the area from central Kansas through northwest Oklahoma, and that is the region where I would be most urgently taking shelter if I lived there.

[00:05:20]And I want to be very clear that severe weather will be possible well outside of that core risk area as well because with a system this large and this powerful, the tornado risk is going to extend across a very broad geographic region.

[00:05:31]Now, let us talk about the timing of all of this because I know that is critically important, and right now, the way things are lining up, we are expecting the initial round of severe thunderstorms to fire during the afternoon hours as the dry line surges eastward and the cap that has been holding things in check begins to erode under the intense daytime heating. And once that cap breaks, we could see explosive convective development very quickly. And I mean that in a very literal sense where you could go from relatively clear skies to a major tornado on the ground within a very short period of time. And that is one of the things that makes this setup so particularly dangerous because the atmosphere is so primed with energy that once storms get going, they are going to intensify very rapidly. And the window for people to react and get to safety could be very short. So, I cannot stress enough how important it is that you're already in position and already aware of your safe place well before any of this storm activity begins to develop. And I also want to address something that I think is extremely important when we talk about a storm of this magnitude and that is the concept of tornado emergency versus tornado warning. And when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, that means rotation has been detected on radar or a tornado has been spotted and you need to take shelter immediately. But when conditions are extreme enough and a particularly dangerous tornado is occurring, they can issue what is called a tornado emergency.

[00:06:51]And a tornado emergency is reserved for the most life-threatening situations.

[00:06:55]And given the setup we are looking at with this storm, the potential for tornado emergency level events is very real. And if you hear those words, you need to understand that those are not issued routinely and they mean that a situation of the utmost danger is occurring. So, please take any tornado emergency with absolute seriousness.

[00:07:12]Now, let me also talk about the winter side of this storm because this system is so large and so powerful that it is not only going to bring severe weather to the south and central plains, it is also going to bring a significant and potentially historic winter storm to portions of the northern plains and upper Midwest.

[00:07:28]And we are talking about blizzard conditions in some areas with snowfall totals that could be measured in feet rather than inches in the hardest-hit locations.

[00:07:37]And the combination of very heavy snow with those extremely strong winds that I mentioned earlier is going to create whiteout blizzard conditions that will make travel not just dangerous, but potentially fatal in some areas. So, if you are in the northern tier of the country from the Dakotas through Minnesota and into Wisconsin and Michigan, please understand that you are going to be facing a completely different but equally dangerous set of hazards from the same storm system.

[00:08:01]And I also want to make sure we talk about the flooding threat because it is another major hazard with this system and on the warm side of this storm, we are going to see extraordinarily heavy rainfall across a large portion of the Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley.

[00:08:15]And we are talking about rainfall totals that could reach 4 to 6 inches in a matter of hours in some locations. And when you get that kind of rainfall on ground that is already saturated from recent precipitation, you are going to see very rapid and dangerous flash flooding develop. And flash flooding is the number one weather killer in the United States on an annual basis. So, please do not underestimate that threat.

[00:08:37]And remember the rule of turn around, do not drown because no road that is covered by water is worth trying to cross.

[00:08:43]So, what do you need to do right now?

[00:08:45]And I want to give you a very clear and specific action plan here because we are not talking about something that is days away anymore. We are talking about something that is arriving now and the time to prepare is right now before this storm is on top of you.

[00:08:59]The first thing you need to do is identify your safe shelter location right now, whether that is an interior room on the lowest level of a sturdy building, a basement, or a designated storm shelter, and make sure that every member of your household knows exactly where to go. The second thing you need to do is charge all of your electronic devices right now because power outages are coming and you are going to need those devices to receive warnings and communicate. The third thing is to make sure you have emergency supplies, including water, food, medications, and a flashlight. And the fourth and most important thing is to make sure you have multiple ways to receive warnings, including a weather radio with battery backup, and make sure your phone alerts are turned on and that your phone is not on do not disturb mode because a warning that you do not hear is a warning that cannot save your life. This is a storm that history will remember and I want you to be on the right side of that history by being prepared and taking this seriously. Please share this forecast with everyone you know who lives in the threat area because getting this information out could literally save lives and we will continue to bring you the very latest updates as this historic storm system continues to unfold. So stay weather aware, stay safe and we will see you in the next forecast. And before I wrap up, I also want to stress the importance of not waiting for a warning before you take action because with a storm this fast, the time between a warning being issued and a tornado arriving could be just a few minutes. So please make your plan right now while you are watching this video. Make sure every person in your household knows exactly where to go because when the sirens go off, that is not the time to figure it out. This storm demands your full respect and your full preparation.