At least 100 million at risk for severe weather from Saturday to Monday
Severe thunderstorms will jolt dozens of states from late this week through early next week, including the risk of destructive winds and tornadoes.
Torrential rain fell in parts of Texas on March 27, leading to severe flooding in cities like McAllen and Weslaco.
As a complex storm setup unfolds, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that daily rounds of severe weather, including the risk of tornadoes, will first develop over the Mississippi Valley this weekend then shift toward the Atlantic coast by early next week.
While the situation is not quite as volatile as some prior severe weather outbreaks this month, where there have been more than 1,900 preliminary incidents of severe weather, including more than 220 tornadoes, the daily events can escalate to put a number of lives in danger and pose a significant risk to property.
Ahead of the main areas of severe weather this weekend, a couple of pockets of severe weather can occur over the central Plains with a larger area from southeastern Texas to Louisiana on Friday. The main threats will be hail, flash flooding and localized damaging wind gusts, but a tornado or two cannot be ruled out.
Storms to become more widespread
Saturday is forecast to be the first of the major days of potentially volatile weather in the unfolding pattern.
The zone of severe weather on Saturday extends from central Texas, eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas and southeastern Nebraska to western Missouri, northwestern Arkansas and central Iowa. The threat includes the major cities of Dallas, Texas, Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri, as well as Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The main threats on Saturday will be from hail and high winds, but some tornadoes may be produced in the strongest storms.
Because the zone over the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys will be strewn with clouds and areas of rain, the severe weather threat has diminished in this area for Saturday. There may still be locally heavy and gusty thunderstorms along the central Gulf coast.
The severe weather threat will ramp up on Sunday in much of the middle of the nation.
On Sunday, the risk of severe weather is likely to broaden and escalate over the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi valleys.
The threat from storms packing high winds, hail, flash flooding and tornadoes will extend from southern Michigan and southward to the Intestate 10 corridor of the central Gulf coast from northeast Texas to Louisiana and the panhandles of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Numerous severe thunderstorms are forecast from the lower part of the Ohio Valley to the mid-Mississippi Valley, near the Ohio and Mississippi River confluence and southwestward toward far northeastern Texas.
On Monday, the risk of severe weather will shift eastward into a heavily populated zone along the Eastern Seaboard from southern New York to northern Florida and southeastern Louisiana.
While the risk of tornadoes is low for Monday at this time, a few severe thunderstorms could still produce a brief tornado. The main threat of severe weather on Monday will be high winds, hail and flash flooding.
Some of the major cities at risk for severe weather on Monday are Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia--all of which are major airport hubs as well as large population centers.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
