More tornadoes, severe storms in store for Central, Eastern US through the weekend
AccuWeather meteorologists continue to warn that repeated waves of thunderstorms will pose risks to lives and property through the weekend.
Richard Sigourney and Violet Peterson describe the steps they took to survive a deadly tornado in Selmer, Tennessee, on April 3.
A supercharged, springtime pattern in the central and eastern United States will continue to bring daily risks of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Areas from Texas and Louisiana to Ohio and Pennsylvania are poised to experience rounds of severe weather in the coming days, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The significant uptick in severe weather began on Wednesday, with at least 40 preliminary tornadoes reported and more than 450 damaging wind reports. At least six people have been killed by the severe weather outbreak thus far.
The risk of severe weather will continue through the weekend.
"Severe thunderstorms will pose a significant danger in many communities across parts of the central and eastern U.S.," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said of the thunderstorms continuing into the weekend.
In addition to the ongoing severe risk, relentless downpours will also bring the risk of life-threatening flooding rainfall for portions of the country compounding the risks and travel disruptions.
Severe thunderstorm threat through Friday night
Repeated rounds of rain and thunderstorms continued overnight Thursday into Friday morning, resulting in flash flood warnings from Tennessee to Kentucky for the start of Friday.
Some of the same locations that were hit with severe thunderstorms Wednesday had additional volatile thunderstorms again Friday, leaving little time to clean up.
The following storm brought more severe weather from Texas into the Ohio Valley. A swath of tornado damage and hail has been reported across this corridor as of Saturday morning.
Tornado, severe thunderstorm risks ramp up again this weekend
The risk of severe weather will be heightened again on Saturday and Saturday night, once again targeting the same areas facing the flood and severe threats this week.
"Saturday looks like the day where there may be multiple supercells and strong tornadoes," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.
Powerful wind gusts, hail and tornadoes are what AccuWeather severe weather experts are most concerned about in terms of the severe weather. Widespread flooding may also be ongoing by the weekend, given several days of rain predicted for parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky.
The combination of flooding, rain and severe thunderstorms could make some traveling routes impassible.
Thunderstorms may be robust enough to bring gusty winds and hail to western Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio on Saturday afternoon and evening.
Lingering energy from the potent storms late Saturday will allow severe weather risks to continue across the Southeast on Sunday.
From the Gulf Coast and the Interstate 10 corridor on northward to western North Carolina and South Carolina, thunderstorms can expect gusty winds, hail, disruptive downpours and even a tornado.
A flip in the weather pattern across the United States is expected early next week. This would bring colder conditions expected in parts of the Northeast and an end to the repeated rounds of rain and widespread severe weather into the middle of next week.
Prior to the pattern change taking full hold in the East, there will still be heavy to severe thunderstorms along a portion of the Atlantic coast on Monday.
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