Residents along a nearly 1,000-mile swath of the United States are facing a new severe weather danger that may threaten lives and property Monday afternoon and night.

A band of rain and thunderstorms is expected to cross the lower Mississippi Valley on Sunday, disrupting cleanup operations in the wake of the severe weather that struck Wednesday night.

While lightning dangers will be present farther north, the risk of the thunderstorms causing damage may be isolated and confined to southern Louisiana.

The severe weather danger can increase significantly on Monday.

Residents from the Arklatex and lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley are being put on alert for a new severe weather threat to arise Monday afternoon and night.

"If enough warm and moist air is drawn northward out of the Gulf of Mexico, there will be more than enough energy for dangerous and potentially life-threatening storms to develop," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio.

"There is a potential for a long-tracked line of thunderstorms that could produce damaging winds, brief tornadoes and heavy downpours," AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Richard Schraeger said.

Where the ground has been saturated by recent rain, trees may be more susceptible to being brought down by the strong winds.

Power may be knocked out. Where outages persist into Election Day, polling stations in buildings without generators could be affected.

Frequent lightning and hail can also occur. The heaviest rain can trigger flash flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas, as well as bring streams and smaller rivers out of their banks.

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The damaging thunderstorms may first ignite in the vicinity of Arkansas on Monday afternoon before charging to and past the lower Mississippi and Ohio rivers on Monday night.

Residents are urged to download the free AccuWeather app to remain aware of the latest forecast for your community as the severe weather threat zone is narrowed down in the coming days.

This includes those living in or planning to visit Little Rock, Arkansas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; and Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio.

The line of gusty showers and thunderstorms may then sweep across the eastern Ohio and Tennessee valleys and over parts of the Eastern Seaboard on Tuesday, potentially creating hazards and disruptions for voters.

Drier weather and lowering humidity are expected to follow the storms over the lower Mississippi Valley for Election Day.

Gusty winds and a lingering shower or two may follow the storms in the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.

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