A severe spring storm is expected to hit the South next week, battering 11 states with severe thunderstorms that could cause life-threatening floods and tornadoes.
Meteorologists have warned Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri to brace for this violent weather on Tuesday.
Of these states, northern Louisiana, eastern Arkansas, northwestern Mississippi, far-western Tennessee, the western corner of Kentucky and the southeastern corner of Missouri are most likely to get hit by severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.
While these southern states will face brunt of the storm’s intensity, its expansive impact will stretch across the eastern two-thirds of the US through Wednesday.
Heavy rain could lead to local flash flooding, particularly in areas that have already been soaked or flooded earlier this month, such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Last week, deadly flash flooding killed 13 people in Kentucky and one in West Virginia after a storm hammered the states with heavy rain.
A mother and her seven-year-old child who were in a car stuck in high water were among the victims from Kentucky. Emergency teams conducted over 1,000 rescues.
Next week’s storm is currently handing over the Pacific Ocean and is expected to move onshore in the northwestern US over the weekend, heading across the Rocky Mountains on Monday.
Next week, heavy rain from a violent storm system could lead to local flash flooding in areas that were already flooded earlier this month, such as Beattyville, Kentucky, where residents paddled boats through the streets on February 16
Meteorologists have warned Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri to brace for this violent weather on Tuesday
This system will bring fresh snow to California’s Sierra Nevada mountains and the Rockies before trekking into the Great Plains and parts of the Midwest Monday night through Thursday, possibly producing areas of wet snow in these central regions.
Locally heavy snowfall could accumulate in some parts of the Great Lakes, according to The Weather Channel.
Once the storm hits southern states, warmer temperatures, a strong jet stream and moisture from the Gulf will ramp up its intensity, increasing the risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
‘As we see it now, thunderstorms are likely to erupt rather quickly, strengthen and organize at midday on Tuesday,’ AccuWeather senior storm warning meteorologist Eddie Walker said.
‘This appears to be primarily a strong wind gust event, but there can still be a few tornadoes.’
AccuWeather meteorologists expect ‘numerous to widespread’ severe thunderstorms to begin Tuesday across the south-central US.
Impacted areas can expect hurricane-force wind gusts between 65 and 75 mph, damaging hail and flash flooding risks.
High winds could lead to scattered power outages and tree damage.
A historical marker in Clarksville, Tennessee was nearly submerged beneath floodwaters on February 16
A flooded rural area in Hart County, Kentucky on February 16
By Wednesday, some thunderstorm activity will reach the Ohio Valley and the Southeast, they predict, spreading severe weather from Ohio to Florida and Virginia along an advancing cold front.
This violent weather will likely impact travel. Drivers can expect delays on highways due to poor visibility and pooling of water on the roadways, AcccuWeather warned.
Flights could be delayed too as the thunderstorms impact airports.
North of the storm’s most severe impacts, heavy rain could bring flooding to states already covered in deep snow, including upstate New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
This type of severe weather is not unusual for March, especially in south-central and southeastern states where rising temperatures mix with Gulf moisture, according to AccuWeather.
Even after next week’s storm dies down, there will likely be more to come through the rest of the month.
‘There is the potential for at least three more severe weather events in the next three weeks in the Central and Eastern states,’ AccuWeather lead long-range meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
‘However, the scope, location and intensity of these will likely vary.’
