At least one dead in Oklahoma flooding as millions in region face severe weather risks

Lawton city officials said water began to recede in some areas on Sunday afternoon.

Further south in Walters, Oklahoma, Cotton County Emergency Management issued a public notice urging all residents to evacuate flood zone areas.

Floodwaters are expected to rise through mid-afternoon Sunday, authorities said. Emergency management is working to secure more sand and sandbags for residents.

Across the Southwest and Rockies, extremely critical fire weather conditions continue Sunday afternoon due to 60 mph wind gusts, single digit relative humidity and dry vegetation. Around 7 million people will be under alert throughout Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas.

Additional severe weather risks span from Montana to Texas, with storms capable of producing winds up to 70 mph, large hail and potentially tornadoes overnight Sunday.

On Monday, 36 million people from Texas to Michigan will be in the severe weather region, including major cities of Minneapolis, Chicago and Oklahoma City.

The strongest storms will be late afternoon and continue overnight, with the potential for intense tornadoes, very large hail and powerful wind gusts. Localized flash flooding may occur in the central region of the country.

The risk will decrease by Tuesday as it moves north to New York, when 37 million will be under a slight risk for severe weather in metropolitan areas like Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Cleveland. As the front travels east, scattered strong to severe thunderstorms may occur with strong wind gusts, hail and an isolated tornado.

As the week continues, there will be a moderate risk in parts of the upper midwest.