Next severe weather outbreak may target central, southern US this weekend
At least 23 people were killed and dozens injured Sunday when powerful tornadoes swept through eastern Alabama. The city of Beauregard, where this video was shot, is utterly devastated by the twisters.
Following a deadly outbreak of tornadoes in the Southeast, another severe weather and tornado outbreak may erupt in the south-central United States this weekend.
A potent storm is forecast to move out of the Rockies and swing into the Plains this weekend. As this happens, the risk of severe thunderstorms will increase over the middle part of the nation, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
Ahead of the weekend threat, lingering chilly air will prevent severe thunderstorm activity over the Mississippi Valley and South through Friday.
However, the approach of the large storm and its circulation may change the current stable atmospheric conditions of the South Central states to an unstable situation by this weekend.
"A number of things will fall into place to trigger the severe weather, including a surge of warm and humid air," according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
Large storms that move eastward from this part of the nation this time of the year tend to draw warm and moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico.
Thunderstorms that develop can grow high into the atmosphere under these conditions.
At the same time, strong west-to-southwesterly winds aloft associated with the storm can cause the thunderstorms to rotate.
"The way the jet stream is looking to set up may support the formation of severe thunderstorms and perhaps tornadoes from parts of Texas to portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri during Saturday afternoon," Pastelok said.
The risk may continue to progress eastward and northward, perhaps in a swath from Mississippi and Alabama to Illinois and Indiana as the weekend continues.
"The storm threat may begin to unwind late in the weekend as the storm lifts northward toward the Great Lakes," Pastelok said.
However, areas that have been hit recently by tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, as well as other states in the Tennessee Valley and Southeast, could still be at risk for severe thunderstorms, including tornadoes, during Saturday night or Sunday.
While the potential severe weather event may include isolated tornadoes, more common characteristics of the storms are likely to be strong wind gusts, frequent lightning strikes, large hail and flash flooding.
AccuWeather will closely monitor the situation and issue updates in advance of the storms.
Download the free AccuWeather app for the latest forecast and to receive severe weather watches and warnings as they are issued.
