Damaging storms to plow through eastern, southern US into Tuesday night
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated May 4, 2021 7:26 PM EDT
AccuWeather's Bill Wadell drove throughout the tornado-warned areas in Texas, such as Rio Vista and Godley, and captured this footage of hail, heavy rain and thunderstorms on Monday, May 3.
A second wave of severe weather in as many days was hammering the Southern states on Tuesday. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that storm dangers will stretch from the Carolinas to Louisiana and portions of northeastern Texas into Tuesday night, while robust storms will also continue to erupt across parts of the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians.
The storms in the Southern states have the greatest potential to produce tornadoes and some communities can be hit by more than one round of severe weather.
Tornado-ravaged Mississippi will lie within the heart of the severe weather risk area, along with the major metro areas of New Orleans, Nashville and Atlanta.
Atlanta has already had a tumultuous beginning of the week when a suspected tornado caused damage very close to downtown.
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Ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts throughout the region could be disrupted as a result of this new round of thunderstorms, and damage may strike other communities that have been spared thus far in the stormy stretch.
The caboose in a trio of storms to affect the central and eastern U.S. early this week will track through the southern tier of the nation Tuesday.
Humid air surging northward will collide with this storm and result in another outbreak of thunderstorms that will likely linger well into Tuesday night, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
Severe thunderstorms were already on the prowl early Tuesday morning across portions of Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, with downpours extended westward into Missouri.
Storms have already turned deadly on Tuesday. A Tennessee woman was killed by a falling tree as severe thunderstorms moved through Weakley County, located in the northwestern part of the state, WKRN in Nashville reported. The potent storms tracked through the area around 4 a.m. and damaged at least six mobile homes. The victim was reportedly sleeping in her bed when the tree toppled onto her bedroom WKRN reported, citing local law enforcement. Two separate fatalities were reported in Georgia on Monday.
Severe thunderstorms were already ongoing early Tuesday morning across portions of Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. (AccuWeather)
The thunderstorms are expected to target cities such as Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina.
"Threats from these storms will include flooding downpours, hail, damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
Damaging, straight-line winds could reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 80 mph, especially if an intense line of thunderstorms known as a squall line develops.
There is an enhanced risk for severe thunderstorms across the Southeast Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. About 9.7 million people live in this enhanced zone. The population total increases to more than 18 million when accounting for a broader part of the region currently facing a slight risk for severe thunderstorms.
On Tuesday afternoon, a moderate threat level was issued for parts of Mississippi and Alabama. Just over 1 million people reside in this area, which includes the city of Hattiesburg Mississippi.
Experts are urging residents to make sure they have a way to receive severe weather warnings before heading to bed with the risk of severe weather expected to continue well after dark.
"There will also be pockets of flash flooding, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas, but fortunately the storms will be moving along at a decent clip, which will limit the duration of intense rainfall for most areas," Anderson said.
Flooding rain reports across the South as of the early morning hours of May 4, 2021.
North and east of the prime severe weather threat zone for the Ohio Valley and Southern states, heavy, gusty and locally strong storms are forecast to target portions of the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic region into Tuesday evening.
Some of these storms have the potential to produce locally gusty winds, frequent lightning strikes, torrential downpours and small hail before they break down in the dome of cool air over New England during Tuesday night.
Areas of the South that experienced a very wet month of April and beginning to May will be at the greatest risk of experiencing flash flooding issues.
Even without any flooding issues, the torrential downpours within the storms can lead to problems for motorists in the form of reduced visibility on the interstates as well as an increased risk of hydroplaning. Stretches of interstates 10, 20, 40, 55, 65, 75 and 85 will be impacted by such hazards.
AccuWeather meteorologists say that it's possible for locally heavy and gusty storms to occur across the mid-Atlantic as well later Tuesday, similar to what occurred during the beginning of the week. On Monday, tornado-warned storms left behind a trail of damage reports across portions of eastern West Virginia, northern Virginia and northern Maryland.
For the most part, however, wet weather in these areas and farther north into New England will be beneficial in easing pockets of unusual dryness.
The risk for severe thunderstorms is expected to wane significantly at the middle of the week, as the overall storm system begins to move offshore.
Still, there may be just enough sunshine and daytime heating prior to the storm's exit to ignite heavy, gusty and locally damaging storms from near the Delmarva Peninsula to the Carolinas, southern Georgia, the Florida Panhandle and along the central Gulf Coast.
As much cooler air settles eastward, the severe weather threat will be tamed, but sporadic showers and even areas of rain will remain factors in the weather into the weekend.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Severe Weather
Damaging storms to plow through eastern, southern US into Tuesday night
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated May 4, 2021 7:26 PM EDT
AccuWeather's Bill Wadell drove throughout the tornado-warned areas in Texas, such as Rio Vista and Godley, and captured this footage of hail, heavy rain and thunderstorms on Monday, May 3.
A second wave of severe weather in as many days was hammering the Southern states on Tuesday. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that storm dangers will stretch from the Carolinas to Louisiana and portions of northeastern Texas into Tuesday night, while robust storms will also continue to erupt across parts of the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians.
The storms in the Southern states have the greatest potential to produce tornadoes and some communities can be hit by more than one round of severe weather.
Tornado-ravaged Mississippi will lie within the heart of the severe weather risk area, along with the major metro areas of New Orleans, Nashville and Atlanta.
Atlanta has already had a tumultuous beginning of the week when a suspected tornado caused damage very close to downtown.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts throughout the region could be disrupted as a result of this new round of thunderstorms, and damage may strike other communities that have been spared thus far in the stormy stretch.
The caboose in a trio of storms to affect the central and eastern U.S. early this week will track through the southern tier of the nation Tuesday.
Humid air surging northward will collide with this storm and result in another outbreak of thunderstorms that will likely linger well into Tuesday night, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
Severe thunderstorms were already on the prowl early Tuesday morning across portions of Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, with downpours extended westward into Missouri.
Storms have already turned deadly on Tuesday. A Tennessee woman was killed by a falling tree as severe thunderstorms moved through Weakley County, located in the northwestern part of the state, WKRN in Nashville reported. The potent storms tracked through the area around 4 a.m. and damaged at least six mobile homes. The victim was reportedly sleeping in her bed when the tree toppled onto her bedroom WKRN reported, citing local law enforcement. Two separate fatalities were reported in Georgia on Monday.
Severe thunderstorms were already ongoing early Tuesday morning across portions of Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. (AccuWeather)
The thunderstorms are expected to target cities such as Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina.
"Threats from these storms will include flooding downpours, hail, damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
Damaging, straight-line winds could reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 80 mph, especially if an intense line of thunderstorms known as a squall line develops.
There is an enhanced risk for severe thunderstorms across the Southeast Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. About 9.7 million people live in this enhanced zone. The population total increases to more than 18 million when accounting for a broader part of the region currently facing a slight risk for severe thunderstorms.
On Tuesday afternoon, a moderate threat level was issued for parts of Mississippi and Alabama. Just over 1 million people reside in this area, which includes the city of Hattiesburg Mississippi.
Experts are urging residents to make sure they have a way to receive severe weather warnings before heading to bed with the risk of severe weather expected to continue well after dark.
"There will also be pockets of flash flooding, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas, but fortunately the storms will be moving along at a decent clip, which will limit the duration of intense rainfall for most areas," Anderson said.
Flooding rain reports across the South as of the early morning hours of May 4, 2021.
North and east of the prime severe weather threat zone for the Ohio Valley and Southern states, heavy, gusty and locally strong storms are forecast to target portions of the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic region into Tuesday evening.
Some of these storms have the potential to produce locally gusty winds, frequent lightning strikes, torrential downpours and small hail before they break down in the dome of cool air over New England during Tuesday night.
Areas of the South that experienced a very wet month of April and beginning to May will be at the greatest risk of experiencing flash flooding issues.
Even without any flooding issues, the torrential downpours within the storms can lead to problems for motorists in the form of reduced visibility on the interstates as well as an increased risk of hydroplaning. Stretches of interstates 10, 20, 40, 55, 65, 75 and 85 will be impacted by such hazards.
AccuWeather meteorologists say that it's possible for locally heavy and gusty storms to occur across the mid-Atlantic as well later Tuesday, similar to what occurred during the beginning of the week. On Monday, tornado-warned storms left behind a trail of damage reports across portions of eastern West Virginia, northern Virginia and northern Maryland.
For the most part, however, wet weather in these areas and farther north into New England will be beneficial in easing pockets of unusual dryness.
The risk for severe thunderstorms is expected to wane significantly at the middle of the week, as the overall storm system begins to move offshore.
Still, there may be just enough sunshine and daytime heating prior to the storm's exit to ignite heavy, gusty and locally damaging storms from near the Delmarva Peninsula to the Carolinas, southern Georgia, the Florida Panhandle and along the central Gulf Coast.
As much cooler air settles eastward, the severe weather threat will be tamed, but sporadic showers and even areas of rain will remain factors in the weather into the weekend.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo