Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

NOAA warns millions across the central U.S. face a major tornado outbreak risk Friday, with scattered severe storms expected to begin late Thursday in the Texas Panhandle, western Oklahoma and parts of Kansas bringing large hail, damaging winds and possibly a few tornadoes. Emergency managers in communities including Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and Douglas County, Kansas, are coordinating with forecasters and preparing situation reports for schools and agencies, while early‑season heat will accompany the system (forecast highs: Louisville 81°F, Atlanta 82°F, Washington, D.C. 74°F).