Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
32 dead, 27 girls at camp missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Tropical Storm Chantal forms in Atlantic before landfall in South Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

91°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

91°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars
Air Quality Alert

News / Severe Weather

Southerners urged to stay on high alert for violent storms, tornadoes

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Jan 8, 2020 1:22 PM EDT

Copied

The weather will take a volatile turn across a sweeping section of the southern U.S. heading into the second weekend of January, with more than 30 million Americans under the threat for severe thunderstorms, including the potential for tornadoes.

The threat zone will include major metro areas such as Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Nashville, likely leading to travel headaches. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that some of the most hazardous weather could occur after dark.

"Residents and visitors will need to be extra vigilant, as many people may not think about severe weather in January," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said.

Tornado outbreaks in the month of January are not unheard of. A total of 455 tornadoes touched down during the month of January from 2010 to 2019 in the U.S., with a 10-year average of 45.5 twisters per month, according to an analysis of data compiled by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC).  

However, as recently as 2017, 137 tornadoes touched down during the month of January, so even though it's not a time of year generally thought of as "tornado season," dangerous conditions can develop in tornado-prone regions during the first month of the year.

A strong cold front poised to sweep through the Southern states will be the trigger for the violent weather.

Warm, moist air flowing in from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of this system, combined with twisting winds in the lower part of the atmosphere, will contribute to a heightened risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

During the midday hours on Friday, a few severe storms erupted and produced large hail.

"On Friday afternoon, thunderstorms are forecast in southeastern Oklahoma, as well as central and eastern Texas," Adamson said.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

The threat in the Dallas area is likely to be early on during the outbreak.

The storms will keep every bit of their punch as they race eastward into the lower Mississippi Valley during Friday night in the form of a squall line.

Straight-line wind gusts to an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 90 mph can occur Friday afternoon and night, leading to broken tree limbs, some structural damage and power outages. Forecasters say flooding downpours and tornadoes are also a big concern.

"Some strong tornadoes are not out of the question," Adamson said. "The tornado threat will be highest in any individual thunderstorm cells that develop ahead of the main line, but tornadoes are possible anywhere in the threat zone."

"This really looks like the potential for a big outbreak of severe weather Friday night into Saturday and the concern is from east Texas all the way across Mississippi, Louisiana," AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said Wednesday on AccuWeather's Weather Insider podcast.

Rayno said that a lot of times severe weather can diminish when the sun goes down, but in this case he expressed concern the exact opposite is going to occur because of all the energy in the atmosphere. The severe weather will continue well past sunset and that is always a dangerous setup.

"I think there's gonna be wind, hail and I think we're gonna see tornadoes on the ground," Rayno said. "The question is: How many?"

Remember that it does not take a tornado to cause destructive damage to homes or businesses in a community, as intense straight-line wind gusts can inflict comparable damage.

Related:

Tornadoes and travel: How to stay safe inside an airport or hotel
7 lightning safety tips if you’re caught outside during a thunderstorm
Why washing dishes or showering during a storm can be extremely dangerous
Dangerous line of thunderstorms to blitz across southern US as weekend wears on

Residents from Houston to Little Rock, Arkansas, should consider charging their cellphones and leaving them on with severe weather alerts enabled and the volume turned up before heading to bed.

Motorists traveling along stretches of interstates 10, 20, 30, 45 and 49 will be at risk of facing torrential downpours and a heightened risk of hydroplaning.

"The line of thunderstorms will move eastward into Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle on Saturday," Adamson said.

People scheduled to arrive in the Big Easy on Saturday ahead of the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday, Jan. 13, should anticipate delays.

As the system moves along, locally damaging winds in lieu of severe weather may cause broken tree limbs and power outages across the region, especially in areas where the ground is saturated.

This same system will encase a 1,700-mile swath of the nation in ice and snow, while contributing to near-record warmth in portions of the Northeast and unleashing flooding rainfall across the Ohio Valley.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

32 dead in Texas, 27 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 5, 2025
video

Rescuers save person clinging to an electric pole amid Texas floods

Jul. 4, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

32 dead in Texas, 27 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

1 hour ago

Hurricane

Chantal to make landfall in South Carolina Sunday morning

6 hours ago

Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

3 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

1 day ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

4 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

1 day ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

1 day ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

4 days ago

Weather News

What makes fireworks burst with vibrant colors?

1 day ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

2 days ago

AccuWeather Severe Weather Southerners urged to stay on high alert for violent storms, tornadoes
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...