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ornadoes and hail threaten several central U.S. states

27 April 2016 01:31 (UTC +04:00)

BAku-APA. The National Weather Service warned that large sections of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas could be hit by tornadoes, destructive hail and high winds on Tuesday, prompting some school districts to send students home early, APA reports quoting Reuters.

It issued a tornado watch extending from Texas into southern Nebraska and a severe thunderstorm watch for large parts of Missouri and southern parts of Illinois.

Hail as large as golf balls hit several places in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma on Tuesday, the service said. This comes after hail storms in Texas in late March and April hit major cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, causing damage estimated to be several billion dollars.

"Locally damaging wind and marginally severe hail also may occur from the lower Missouri and lower Ohio Valleys to the mid-Atlantic coast," the National Weather Service said.

Schools in Oklahoma City and several of its suburbs planned to close early on Tuesday, ahead of the severe weather expected to come in the afternoon.

In Missouri, high winds downed trees and snapped power lines, the service said based on local reports.