OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma — Two distinct rounds of severe weather are targeting the Plains on Sunday, September 20, 2026, with Oklahoma City and Tulsa facing a focused threat for severe damaging wind gusts by late afternoon and evening while Denver and the Colorado Front Range face supercells capable of large hail and severe wind gusts during the afternoon. A third separate threat stretches along the cold front from the Ozarks eastward into the central Appalachians, bringing a localized risk of gusty winds and hail to communities from St. Louis through Indianapolis, Louisville, Knoxville and Asheville throughout Sunday afternoon. Three separate severe weather zones on a single day demands attention across a wide swath of the country this Sunday.
Round 1: Oklahoma City and Tulsa Face Damaging Wind Gusts Sunday Afternoon and Evening
Central and eastern Oklahoma are in the most focused severe weather zone on Sunday, September 20, 2026, with Oklahoma City and Tulsa both sitting within the Slight Risk zone on the outlook. Here is how the threat develops:
- Intense afternoon heat and humidity ahead of a cold front will fuel strong storm development across central and eastern Oklahoma during the afternoon hours of Sunday, September 20.
- As storms initiate, they are expected to quickly merge into a larger cluster, bringing a focused and organized threat for severe and damaging wind gusts by late afternoon and evening across Oklahoma City, Tulsa and surrounding communities.
- The merging of individual storm cells into a larger cluster is a key signal — cluster-type storm systems are especially efficient at producing widespread straight-line damaging winds across a large area simultaneously, meaning the threat is not limited to isolated spots but could affect a broad swath of central and eastern Oklahoma through Sunday evening.
Round 2: Denver and the Colorado Front Range Face Supercells and Large Hail Sunday Afternoon…