Flooding rain, severe storms eye southern US into Monday night

By Andy Mussoline, Meteorologist

February 15,2016; 9:57PM,EST

 

 

The risk of flooding and locally damaging thunderstorms will shift eastward across the South into Monday night.
The storm unleashing heavy rain and severe thunderstorms is the same one delivering snow and ice to areas farther to the northeast.
The urban flood threat will initially target the metro areas of Nashville, Tennessee; Jackson and Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, into Monday evening.
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Rainfall will total 1-3 inches across many areas over a 6- to 12-hour period. In addition to the flood threat, severe thunderstorms will threaten the lower Mississippi Valley.
The strongest thunderstorms will be capable of producing damaging winds and isolated tornadoes in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. People are urged to seek shelter away from windows as the storms approach.

Blinding downpours and excess water on road surfaces could dangerously reduce visibility and lead to hydroplaning along interstates 10, 20, 40, 55, 59, 75, and 85. Flash flooding could force officials to shut down some secondary roads. Motorists should be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions.
The heavy rain and thunderstorms will then sweep eastward into Atlanta and Tallahassee, Florida, late Monday night and then Charlotte, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina, before dawn on Tuesday.
Showers and locally gusty thunderstorms will push into southern Georgia and part of the Florida Peninsula late Monday night into early Tuesday.
Content contributed by AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.