Deadly severe weather outbreak charges (east, southeast whatever direction it is) threatening nearly 10 million Americans
A widespread severe weather threat that has brought deadly tornadoes to the Plains, blistering winds to the Southeast and flash flooding into Florida’s Panhandle Thursday is revving up for another day in many of the same areas still cleaning up from earlier rounds of storms.
The severe weather threat is not as high as it’s been the past two days but still warrants plenty of attention.
There are two areas of concern in the Midwest and Southeast. In the Southeast, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a level 2 of 5 risk of severe weather stretching from Arkansas through much of Mississippi and into southern Alabama and, again, the Florida Panhandle.
Already a strong line of thunderstorms left over from Thursday’s activity is moving across Mississippi early Friday morning, bringing ferocious wind gusts up to 80 mph along with heavy rain and frequent lightning, along with a few tornadoes. Jackson, Mississippi reported a gust of 62 mph when the squall line pushed through Friday morning.
This line of storms will move into southern Mississippi and Alabama, later reaching the Florida Panhandle later Friday morning.
Severe Thunderstorm Watches are in effect until the late morning for portions of the Gulf Coast.
Supercell thunderstorms are expected to refire across the Southeastern threat zone Friday afternoon and evening as atmospheric instability returns, but with damaging wind gusts and large hail are the primary severe weather threats.
Another area of concern is back in the Plains where a Level 2 severe weather risk is in place for eastern Colorado and western Kansas.
Again, damaging wind gusts and large hail are the primary severe weather threats, with a risk of an isolated tornado. Storms will develop Friday afternoon and move into western Kansas Friday evening into Friday night, with storms weakening overnight into Saturday.
Additional rounds of severe weather are likely this weekend as a jet stream disturbance slides east across the Plains and mid-South.
Late Saturday and into Saturday night, severe storms are expected across southern Kansas into Oklahoma, northern Texas and western Arkansas, and once again the threat spreads across the South. Risks includes the potential for supercells capable of producing large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
HERE’S WHERE TORNADOES ARE MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR IN EACH MONTH
A more organized severe weather threat is possible Sunday and Sunday night across parts of the Ozark Plateau and mid-South into the Tennessee Valley including Memphis, Tennessee, Little Rock, Arkansas and Jackson, Mississippi.
Large hail and damaging wind gusts will likely be the primary threats, but an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.