There is significant risk to lives and property this weekend associated with a severe weather outbreak that includes the potential for multiple strong tornadoes in the Southern states.
All facets of severe weather are anticipated this weekend, ranging from damaging wind gusts and large hail to frequent lightning strikes, flash flooding and tornadoes.
However, the setup this weekend, especially during Saturday afternoon and evening, is conducive for the formation of a significant number of tornadoes. Some of them can be strong and on the ground for more than a few minutes.
A massive tornado moves into Rochelle, Illinois, on Thursday, April 9, 2015. (Photo/Tom Purdy)
Even though the actual risk of severe thunderstorms and a tornado may only take up an hour or two of the day, people are encouraged to closely monitor the weather situation and have a plan of action in place should the unthinkable happen at their location.
Be sure to have cell phones fully charged to monitor severe weather bulletins.
Saturday is starting with isolated severe thunderstorms erupting across west-central Texas and eastward to far northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas.
The strongest thunderstorms will remain capable of producing hail and damaging winds on Saturday morning. One severe thunderstorm downed 10 utility poles near Scottsville in far northeastern Texas.
An isolated tornado can also threaten a few communities.
Live update from Shreveport LA ahead of potential #tornado outbreak focused across extreme eastern TX, much of LA, into western MS. Stay tuned to @accuweather
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The severe weather outbreak is forecast to ramp up farther during Saturday afternoon.
"During Saturday afternoon, severe thunderstorms and a significant risk of tornadoes will extend from east-central Texas to northwestern and central Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma, central and southeastern Arkansas and western Mississippi," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
The likelihood of severe thunderstorms, including the potential for tornadoes, will continue at night and shift to the east and northeast.
During Saturday evening, storms will tend to progress eastward across Louisiana and southeastern Arkansas, while advancing across Mississippi and nosing northward into western Tennessee.
Locally severe storms are projected to advance to western Alabama and middle Tennessee late Saturday night. While the risk of tornadoes will be significantly lower late at night, there is still the potential for couple of brief spin ups.
On Sunday, severe thunderstorms will continue to progress eastward across the South and erupt farther to the north.
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When compared to Saturday, the overall threat of tornadoes in the south will be significantly lower on Sunday. However, a few storms may still produce tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia, the Florida Panhandle and northwestern South Carolina.
While there can be a thunderstorm at any time Sunday afternoon at the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta, Georgia, the greatest risk for a severe thunderstorm is late in the afternoon and evening.
On Sunday, throughout the risk area from Ohio and western Pennsylvania to Alabama and Florida, the storms will take on more of a squall line setup with the greatest threats being from damaging wind gusts, flash flooding and lightning strikes.
The storms are expected to lose their intensity as they cross the central Appalachians and approach the Atlantic coast later Sunday night to Monday.
However, there is still the likelihood of torrential downpours, loud thunder and locally gusty winds at the tail end of the weekend to the start of the new week from southeastern New York state to central Florida.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay alert to severe weather watches and warnings. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirectTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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