Oklahoma Tornado aftermath

The storm system behind Monday’s tornado has killed scores of people in a massive tornado that devastated the town of Moore, Oklahoma.  It now threatens a large swath of the United States on Tuesday, putting 53 million people at risk of severe weather.

“We could have a Round 3,” CNN Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said. “Hopefully, it won’t be as bad.” Tornadoes could strike the Plains, but not devastated Moore, Oklahoma, where the threat of severe weather has diminished.

In the eye of the tornado on Tuesday are parts of north-central Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and northern Arkansas and Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service.

The area includes Dallas-Fort Worth, Waco, San Antonio, and parts of Shreveport, says HLN Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen. There may be “big tornadoes,” he said.

About 9 million people live in the region, says CNN Meteorologist Dave Hennen.

“Storms will develop around the early afternoon, and then we may see supercells develop a few hours later. The primary tornado threat will be from mid-afternoon to late evening hours in that region,” Van Dillen says.

The Oklahoma City area, including Moore, could continue to face storms during the morning due to a strong cold front positioned through the state and a strong low-level jet stream “plowing into it from the south,” Van Dillen said. “This activity will edge eastward through the day.”

The National Weather Service reports a slight risk of severe weather from Texas all the way up through the Great Lakes. Hennen says that puts another 44 million people under threat of some kind of severe weather.