By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist
April 30,2016; 11:53AM,EDT
The risk of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding will shift to the Deep South for the first half of the weekend.
A line of intense thunderstorms will continue to march from Louisiana to Mississippi into Saturday evening. The storms will bring the potential for damaging wind gusts, large hail, frequent lightning strikes and isolated tornadoes.
One severe thunderstorm within this line earlier on Saturday produced a 60-mph wind gust at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Texas. Air operations at the airport reported that two 737's sustained damage at their terminal gates after being shifted by the winds.
The slow-moving nature of the storm system, combined with the repeating nature of the thunderstorms will also bring an elevated risk of flash flooding.
Locally, 5 inches of rain will pour down. Of that rainfall, a couple of inches could fall in as many hours on some communities.
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Cities at risk for the severe and flooding thunderstorms include Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi.
An elderly woman and her four grandchildren were killed early Saturday morning after a creek overflowed its banks in Palestine, Texas, following torrential rainfall, according to the Associated Press. Between six to 10 homes in the family's cul-de-sac were severely damaged by the flood waters.
More flooding along FM 2625. Turn Around, Don't Drown!
Residents are reminded to seek shelter as soon as thunder is heard even in the absence of severe thunderstorm warnings. The danger of being struck by lightning is then present.
There have been five lightning fatalities in the United States so far this year, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lightning Safety Specialist John Jensenius.
"The five fatalities this year are the most this year in the season since 2001 (when there were seven fatalities by April 27)," Jensenius said.
By Sunday, the threat of locally flooding downpours and severe thunderstorms will extend as far north as the Ohio Valley and as far south as the central Gulf Coast.
Content contributed by AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
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