Severe storms in forecast for US much of this week

(National Weather Service)

NORMAN, Okla. – The springtime severe weather season is ramping up with damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes in the forecast nearly every day this week, including in parts of Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee on Monday.

A day earlier, the same storm system swept through parts of Oklahoma and Texas, dropping softball-sized hailstones near Dallas. A tornado was reported Sunday in Ada, Oklahoma, though no substantial damage was reported.

Forecasters with the Storm Prediction Center say damaging winds and large hail are the biggest threats Monday, particularly in western Kentucky, northern Mississippi and western Tennessee, including the Memphis and Nashville areas.

On Tuesday, parts of central Texas and southern Oklahoma are in the crosshairs for bad weather, while Wednesday's forecast takes aim at east Texas, Arkansas, and northwest Louisiana.

Sunday's severe weather happened as residents in the Deep South cleared branches and worked to restore power from earlier weekend storms.

A tornado destroyed four mobile homes and damaged others near Cato, Arkansas, late Friday night. In northwest Louisiana, sheriff's officials said a church was destroyed by an apparent tornado, though no injuries were reported.