DALLAS — The spring storm season is in full swing once again, with another round of storms expected to develop across North Texas this week.
Ahead of the storms, the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) put most of our region under a "slight" risk for severe weather Monday and an "enhanced" risk on Tuesday.
Those designations are part of the SPC's five-category scale for determining severe storm chances and risks.
A slight risk is considered Level 2 out of five, and an enhanced risk is considered Level 3 out of five.
In recent weeks, North Texas has been under a "slight" risk, or Level 2, for storms. And as we've seen, even that threat level can produced damaging storms, including strong winds and hail.
Here's an overview of each risk category, and how it ties into what we see here in North Texas.
What are the five risk categories?
In order or risk and severity, here are the five categories and what they mean, according to the SPC:
1. Marginal (Green): This initial level means isolated severe thunderstorms are possible. Storms would likely be limited in how long they last, how much area they cover and how intense they become.
2. Slight (Slight): A slight risk means scattered severe storms are possible, though they'd likely be short-lived and not have widespread coverage over an area. While they might not be as persistent, these storms could still produce isolated intense conditions.
3. Enhanced (Orange): Under enhanced conditions, numerous severe storms are possible. This level is marked by more persistent and widespread storms, a few of which could be intense.
4. Moderate (Red): Jumping to a moderate risk level means more widespread severe storms are likely, and they could be long-lived and intense.
5. High (Pink): The highest risk category means widespread severe storms are expected to happen and they'll be long-lived, across a wide area and "particularly intense," according to the SPC's guidance.
Latest forecast for North Texas on Monday: