Severe storms to sweep over southern US with flooding rain, possible tornadoes
A storm ramping up in the central United States will push an area of potentially severe weather across the lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast states into Tuesday.
"Severe thunderstorms will likely fire along a potent cold front," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio said.
Storm damage possible
While thunderstorms may seem out-of-season, autumn outbreaks are not uncommon in the Deep South and should not be underestimated.
"All the atmospheric ingredients necessary for damaging winds, hail and even a few tornadoes will be present," Rossio said.
A few isolated tornadoes could spin up from part of northeastern Texas to Louisiana, Mississippi, eastern Arkansas and western Tennessee into Monday night.
Residents and travelers in the region should stay alert.
Heavy rain will yield the threat for flash flooding. Up to 2 inches of rain could fall in a short period of time from any given storm.
Particularly in areas where rain has been scarce, flooding will occur quickly.
Creek beds that have dried during the recent drought could fill suddenly with swiftly moving water. Significant runoff of topsoil is also possible as dry weather has left the soil dusty and has thinned protective foliage cover.
During Tuesday, a few locally heavy, gusty thunderstorms will affect areas from Georgia to New Jersey.
Locally severe thunderstorms may reignite from Louisiana to parts of Tennessee during Tuesday night.
Storm to beBeneficial for drought, wildfire containment
Though the storm will be hazardous, the rain produced will also be beneficial to areas experiencing drought conditions.
Monroe, Louisiana, has received only 1.83 inches of rain since Oct. 1. Rainfall would normally total almost 9 inches during that time.
Additionally, wildfires continue to rage in the Carolinas and Georgia. As of late November, fires this autumn have consumed over 120,000 acres in the southern U.S.
Rounds of rain will affect active fire areas into Wednesday, which may be enough to greatly aid wildfire containment efforts.
This image taken on Nov. 20, 2016, shows smoke plumes from active wildfires over the southern United States.
Story written by AccuWeather Meteorologist Faith Eherts.
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