Severe thunderstorms, including the threat of a few tornadoes, are possible Monday and Monday night in parts of the South.
A low-pressure system has developed in the Southern Plains, and it will gather moisture from the Gulf of Mexico while moving eastward through the Midwest.
This system will ignite thunderstorms in the South and also spread a wintry mess of snow and ice through parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
An area from extreme southeast Texas to southeast Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and western Alabama has the greatest chance of severe thunderstorms during the day on Monday. This includes Jackson, Mississippi, and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The chance of severe storms could continue Monday night from southeast Louisiana to southern and central Mississippi, much of Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. Birmingham, Alabama, New Orleans and Pensacola, Florida, are some of the cities that could experience severe weather.
Damaging wind gusts are the primary threat from these storms, but tornadoes are also possible.
Winter Tornadoes
You would think that as it turns colder into winter, there would be fewer severe thunderstorms.
But this isn't the case in the South.
The warmth and humidity from the tropics can periodically splash northward into the lower Mississippi Valley and near the Southeast coast as low-pressure systems cross the country.
The northern jet stream also begins to intensify going into the winter months, which adds to the amount of lift and spin in the atmosphere.
Alabama had 138 December tornadoes in the 69-year period from 1950 to 2018. That's more than occurred in five other calendar months.
A storm system last year produced tornadoes from Oklahoma to Illinois as November ended and December began.
On Dec. 2, 2018, an EF3 tornado touched down at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay near St. Mary's, Georgia. The twister pulled a crane barge away from the shore and damaged several metal containers and vehicles.
Episodes of severe weather can continue through January and February from the lower Mississippi Valley into Florida, especially in years where the jet stream is stronger than average.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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