AccuWeather forecasters warn of tornado threat for parts of Gulf Coast region
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Mar 18, 2022 9:09 AM EDT
|
Updated Mar 18, 2022 3:43 PM EDT
Severe weather will threaten multiple hazards, including tornadoes, across parts of the South on Friday as the atmosphere remains volatile, AccuWeather forecasters say.
Multiple injuries were reported in Atmore, Alabama, after a likely tornado tracked through the area, according to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. The town is located just north of the western tip of the Florida Panhandle. Nine mobile homes were destroyed during the severe weather, according to NorthEscambia.com.
Damaging thunderstorms have made their presence felt across parts of the south-central and the southeastern United States for much of last week, and more storms will jolt areas from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf Coast and mid-Atlantic into the weekend.
Thunderstorms on Thursday mainly produced hail and a few instances of damaging wind across Oklahoma, while a slow-moving storm system produced deadly flooding around the Birmingham, Alabama, area on Wednesday. On March 12, a waterspout roared ashore in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, and sent beachgoers scurrying.
"Severe weather is anticipated across the Midwest and Southeast through Friday evening, with all types on the table from tornadoes and hail to flooding downpours and damaging wind gusts," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Jessica Storm.
There will be two separate areas under the threat of severe weather into Friday evening. While both will have flooding downpours and damaging wind gusts as risks, the hail and tornado threat will vary somewhat.
"The northern portion of the severe weather risk is drawing attention for potentially large hail in cities such as Paducah, Bowling Green and Louisville, Kentucky; Evansville, Indiana; and Nashville, Tennessee," said Storm.
"Hail can form when there is a lot of up-and-down movement with a thunderstorm, causing rain droplets to collide and freeze together," explained Storm.
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The severe area farther to the south will have a higher risk for tornadoes, some of which may begin as waterspouts over the Gulf of Mexico before moving onshore.
Anywhere from Panama City and Tallahassee, Florida, to Columbus, Georgia, will have a risk of tornadoes.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center says there is an "enhanced" risk for severe thunderstorms on Friday in an area that includes parts of Alabama, far-northwestern Florida and even some parts of western Georgia.
The SPC says that more than 23 million are facing some type of severe weather threat on Friday from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley, and more than 2 million live in the area highlighted by the enhanced risk.
Those two regions will have a quieter day on Saturday as thunderstorms shift to the East Coast. However, the risk of severe weather there may be slightly lower.
"On Saturday, severe weather is expected to be more isolated and concentrated along the East Coast from northeastern Florida to New Jersey," said Storm.
Some potent storms are likely to develop farther to the northwest in areas from central and eastern Pennsylvania to New York from late Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening.
"Thunderstorms that erupt at the end of the day in this pocket of the Northeast will carry the risk of an isolated tornado, as well as hail and strong wind gusts," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
A cold front helping to trigger the severe weather will be off the East Coast by Sunday. However, AccuWeather forecasters are tracking an even bigger threat for severe weather that could unfold from the southern Plains to the Tennessee Valley and Southeast early next week.
For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Severe Weather
AccuWeather forecasters warn of tornado threat for parts of Gulf Coast region
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Mar 18, 2022 9:09 AM EDT | Updated Mar 18, 2022 3:43 PM EDT
Severe weather will threaten multiple hazards, including tornadoes, across parts of the South on Friday as the atmosphere remains volatile, AccuWeather forecasters say.
Multiple injuries were reported in Atmore, Alabama, after a likely tornado tracked through the area, according to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. The town is located just north of the western tip of the Florida Panhandle. Nine mobile homes were destroyed during the severe weather, according to NorthEscambia.com.
Damaging thunderstorms have made their presence felt across parts of the south-central and the southeastern United States for much of last week, and more storms will jolt areas from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf Coast and mid-Atlantic into the weekend.
Thunderstorms on Thursday mainly produced hail and a few instances of damaging wind across Oklahoma, while a slow-moving storm system produced deadly flooding around the Birmingham, Alabama, area on Wednesday. On March 12, a waterspout roared ashore in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, and sent beachgoers scurrying.
"Severe weather is anticipated across the Midwest and Southeast through Friday evening, with all types on the table from tornadoes and hail to flooding downpours and damaging wind gusts," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Jessica Storm.
There will be two separate areas under the threat of severe weather into Friday evening. While both will have flooding downpours and damaging wind gusts as risks, the hail and tornado threat will vary somewhat.
"The northern portion of the severe weather risk is drawing attention for potentially large hail in cities such as Paducah, Bowling Green and Louisville, Kentucky; Evansville, Indiana; and Nashville, Tennessee," said Storm.
"Hail can form when there is a lot of up-and-down movement with a thunderstorm, causing rain droplets to collide and freeze together," explained Storm.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The severe area farther to the south will have a higher risk for tornadoes, some of which may begin as waterspouts over the Gulf of Mexico before moving onshore.
Anywhere from Panama City and Tallahassee, Florida, to Columbus, Georgia, will have a risk of tornadoes.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center says there is an "enhanced" risk for severe thunderstorms on Friday in an area that includes parts of Alabama, far-northwestern Florida and even some parts of western Georgia.
The SPC says that more than 23 million are facing some type of severe weather threat on Friday from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley, and more than 2 million live in the area highlighted by the enhanced risk.
Those two regions will have a quieter day on Saturday as thunderstorms shift to the East Coast. However, the risk of severe weather there may be slightly lower.
"On Saturday, severe weather is expected to be more isolated and concentrated along the East Coast from northeastern Florida to New Jersey," said Storm.
Some potent storms are likely to develop farther to the northwest in areas from central and eastern Pennsylvania to New York from late Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening.
"Thunderstorms that erupt at the end of the day in this pocket of the Northeast will carry the risk of an isolated tornado, as well as hail and strong wind gusts," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
A cold front helping to trigger the severe weather will be off the East Coast by Sunday. However, AccuWeather forecasters are tracking an even bigger threat for severe weather that could unfold from the southern Plains to the Tennessee Valley and Southeast early next week.
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For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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