UPDATE: Tornado watches cover all counties

According to announcements from the Storm Prediction Center on Wednesday afternoon, all counties are currently under a tornado watch.

Lyon, Coffey, Greenwood, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties are under watch until 10 p.m. Hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter and gusts up to 80 mph are additional concerns.

Chase County remains under watch until 9 p.m. Further concerns include hail measuring up to 2.5 inches in diameter and wind speeds of 75 mph.

Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates.

Wednesday, 2:20 p.m.: Tornado warning announced for Chase County

The first severe weather warning was issued for the KVOE listening area on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service has placed Chase County on a tornado watch until 9 p.m. As KVOE has reported over the past 24 hours, the entire listening area and much of eastern Kansas is covered by an elevated risk area for storm activity Wednesday evening, with all sorts of threats, including isolated tornadoes.

The main concerns will be wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour and hail the size of ping pong balls. So far, the threat of severe weather on Wednesday has only led to a few schedule adjustments.

For the latest adjustments, please visit KVOE's Closings and Cancellations page by clicking here.

Wednesday, 10:50 a.m.: Strong winds will create an extremely dangerous risk of severe weather on Wednesday

This may not seem like the right time of year, but severe weather is possible across the KVOE listening area through late Wednesday afternoon.

The Storm Prediction Center has reported an elevated risk, or Level 3, on its 5-point scale for potentially severe storm activity for all counties and nearly all of the eastern half of Kansas. TV-13 meteorologist Doug Meyers says isolated strong to severe storms could occur ahead of a series of severe storms later Wednesday.

Wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour and hail the size of ping pong balls or 1.5 inches in diameter are the main threats, but isolated tornadoes – including some strong tornadoes – are also possible. Heavy rainfall is also possible, with an expected range of 0.50 to 1.5 inches depending on storm coverage.

Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell says it's time to review your severe weather plan if you haven't already.

Stay tuned to KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media throughout the day for updates and possible adjustments. If you have rain totals, storm reports or storm photos related to Wednesday's activity, text that information to Bluestem Farm and Ranch's text line at 620-342-5863.

5:30 a.m. Wednesday:

Halloween is on the calendar for Thursday, but Wednesday's weather forecast looks more like spring than fall in terms of severe weather.

The Storm Prediction Center has reported an elevated risk, or Level 3, on its 5-point scale for potentially severe storm activity for all counties and nearly all of the eastern half of Kansas. TV-13 meteorologist Doug Meyers says all hazards are in play, particularly for late afternoon into late evening, but also as more isolated storms develop into late morning. Meyers also tells KVOE News that rain – heavy at times – is very likely and some severe weather is also likely with the developing storms.

Wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour and hail up to a half-dollar size are the main threats, but isolated tornadoes – including some strong tornadoes – are also possible. Heavy rainfall is also possible, with an expected range of 0.50 to 1.5 inches depending on storm coverage.

This follows two extremely windy days across the region, with wind gusts near 50 mph on Monday and near 60 mph on Tuesday.

KVOE's volunteer spotter network Storm Team was alerted.