Violent thunderstorms to target Kentucky to Mississippi on Saturday
Large hail bounced off this home as it battered Cocoa,Florida, on March 27.
Residents from Kentucky to central Mississippi will have to remain alert for potentially damaging thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon and early evening.
Violent thunderstorms are expected to erupt late Saturday as incoming cooler air clashes with the warmth surging across the South.
The strongest thunderstorms can threaten areas from central Kentucky to western and central Tennessee, northwestern Alabama and northern and central Mississippi.
Louisville and Bowling Green, Kentucky; Nashville, Jackson and Memphis, Tennessee; Florence, Alabama; Tupelo, Columbus and Jackson, Mississippi, are among the cities in the risk zone.
Anyone with outdoor plans in and around these cities should keep an eye to the sky and turn on cell phone alerts.
Download the free AccuWeather app to receive severe weather notifications and know when to seek shelter.
The main hazard will be damaging winds, but hail can also pound some communities. It is not out of the question for additional damage from an isolated tornado.
Motorists planning to travel along stretches of interstates 22, 24, 40, 55 and 69 should remain alert for sudden reductions in visibility. Water ponding on roads can also heighten the risk of vehicles hydroplaning when traveling at highway speeds.
Residents and visitors spending this warm Saturday outside are reminded to seek shelter as soon as thunder is heard. You are then close enough to be struck.
The severe weather danger will wane in the evening with the loss of daytime heating, and the threat is not expected to translate closer to the coast in the Southeast on Sunday.
The weekend will end with dry and cooler air filtering over Saturday's threat zone.
Highs in the 60s and 70s on Saturday will be replaced by temperatures being held to the upper 40s and 50s to end the weekend.
