South Severe Weather Potential Wednesday, Thursday

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

December 18,2012; 6:00PM,EST

As a blizzard unfolds over part of the Midwest, severe thunderstorms are poised to erupt on the storm's warm side over the South spanning late Wednesday into Thursday night.

According to Severe Weather Meteorologist Eddie Walker of AccuWeather.com Enterprise Solutions, "The greatest risk from the storms appears to be damaging wind gusts and flash and urban flooding. However, there is a slight possibility that a few storms can be intense enough to produce a tornado."
The severe weather is forecast to begin to fire from the upper Texas coast to western Arkansas late Wednesday afternoon and evening as a cold front approaches the area.
From there, the front and storms along it will migrate eastward across the lower Mississippi Valley Wednesday night, reaching the northeastern Gulf Coast to the Carolinas Thursday. The storms can also reach into part of the Ohio Valley.

"We expect the pattern to evolve into a solid line of strong storms moving along at a fast pace," Walker said. "At peak, gusts can reach 70 mph in some instances."
As the zone of thunderstorms moves through metro areas, there can be delays at the major airports including Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Charlotte.
The rainfall combined with strong gusts of wind can also blind some motorists traveling along I-10,I-20, I-30 and other major highways in the region.
People in the path of the storms are urged to keep an eye on the situation.
While there is much more to severe weather than the approach of a cold front, this is a strengthening storm situation over the Midwest. The thunderstorms will be fed by a strong flow of moisture and warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, while a strong winds aloft add extra power to the storms.
As the front progresses eastward, the storms along it have the potential to get stronger over time before passing off the Atlantic coast Thursday night.
Strong wind gusts in the wake of the front and storms can lead to additional flight delays from the Midwest to the East coast Friday into Saturday.

Unfortunately this storm and another that follows next week has the potential to continue the pattern of severe weather outbreaks during December.

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