Significant tornado outbreak looms for Louisiana to Florida, Georgia

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

February 23,2016; 11:53AM,EST

 

 

A significant outbreak of tornadoes is expected across the southern United States into Wednesday, and severe weather could strike areas as far north as the mid-Atlantic by midweek.
The same winter storm set to spread disruptive snow into the Midwest and push drenching rain across the Northeast's Interstate-95 corridor threatens to ignite severe weather in a dozen states.
The first sporadic severe thunderstorms ignited over central Texas with a few incidents of large hail and strong wind gusts during Monday night. However, the outbreak will grow in size and magnitude into Tuesday night.
Following severe thunderstorms and perhaps a couple of isolated tornadoes near the upper Texas coast into Tuesday midday, a very dangerous situation will unfold across much of the central Gulf Coast states.

"There is the potential for not only a severe weather outbreak, but also a significant number of tornadoes from Louisiana to western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle on Tuesday," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.
Some of the tornadoes may be strong and on the ground for more than a few minutes.
The risk of tornadoes, along with damaging wind gusts and large hail, will extend into the nighttime hours, adding to the danger.
The threat of severe weather will expand northward and southward as it pushes toward the Atlantic Coast beyond Tuesday night.

Severe thunderstorms will push northeastward across the Carolinas and southern Virginia and southward through the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday.
The greatest threat from the storms will be from damaging wind gusts, hail and flash flooding.
"A few tornadoes will still be possible on Wednesday," AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Storm Warning Meteorologist Alex Avalos said. "The tornado threat should be confined to more of eastern North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia during Wednesday."
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The severe weather risk will extend northward to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore Wednesday evening.
Farther northeast, a band of drenching rain with strong winds at the coast will push through the rest of the I-95 corridor in the Northeast Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
People in the alerted areas will need to monitor the weather closely for rapidly changing conditions and have a plan of action should severe weather strike the local area.

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Even in the absence of severe weather, residents are reminded to seek shelter as soon as thunder is heard. Stay ahead of violent thunderstorms with AccuWeather MinuteCast®.
The passage of a cold front will sweep away the severe weather danger and open the door for drier, less volatile air to filter later in the week.
Content contributed by AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.