A Tornado Watch has been issued for communities around New Orleans due to the threat of severe storms.
A potent storm system that has triggered severe weather alerts across the Southeast on Thursday continues to slowly move through the region, where severe weather and life-threatening is expected to continue through Saturday.
The initial round of storms developed across the Southern Plains where several communities reported hail the size of quarters. Heavy rains hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area, triggering flooding in Forth Worth. Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport received 2.67 inches of rain Thursday, ranking as its 9th wettest March day on record.
Due to the increased threat along the Gulf Coast, a Tornado Watch has been issued for communities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi through the early evening.
Thunderstorms are expected to intensify across the alerted area through the evening, which will be capable of large hail, damaging gusts and tornadoes.
(FOX Weather)
Severe weather impacts expand eastward
The FOX Weather Center expects impacts to expand to several states on Friday as the storm system moves east, which includes the already saturated states of Alabama and Georgia.
“Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana — all of you are going to have a huge rush of moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico,” says FOX Weather Meteorologist . “And the incoming storm from the west is just going to add enough spin in the atmosphere to create an isolated tornado risk.”
The abundance of strong low-level wind shear will help sustain severe thunderstorms after sunset. In all, over 20 million people are under some level of severe weather threat Friday.
(FOX Weather)
Flood Watches issued as several inches of rain possible amid stalled front
Aside from severe thunderstorms, flash flooding remains a concern in much of Alabama, Georgia and even into
As the storms move in during the day Friday, a corridor of heavy rain will quickly become established as storms interact with a warm front that will be draped across the region. Meanwhile, strong low-level winds will pump in prolific amounts of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, which will allow the storms to produce torrential rain with rainfall rates in excess of 1 inch per hour, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
(FOX Weather)
The slow-moving to stationary front will provide a focus for storms to repeatedly develop and move over the same areas. Rainfall totals could easily exceed 4 inches, with isolated areas up to 8 inches across a narrow area where the front stalls. NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has issued a level 3 out of 4 flash flood risk for a swath of Alabama and Georgia that stretches just south of and
In addition, have been issued for portions of Alabama and a large section of Georgia, which includes around 11 million people.
(FOX Weather)
The threat of more heavy precipitation comes on already-saturated grounds, which could lead to rivers, creeks and streams to quickly overflow their banks.
(FOX Weather)
Severe weather threat moves into Southeast on Saturday
Before the pushes off the East Coast, the chance for strong to severe storms is expected to linger across parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to start the weekend.
Forecasters expect plenty of moisture and daytime heating to be in place for storms to produce hail, gusty winds and an isolated tornado.
The threat zone includes cities such as and in Florida and in Georgia.
Most of the rainfall is expected to push offshore by Saturday evening, leaving behind a dry but breezy Sunday.
(FOX Weather)