The threat of isolated severe thunderstorms and flash flooding will continue in the vicinity of a frontal boundary that is draped from the central Appalachians to the Lower Mississippi Valley. Locally heavy rain is causing significant flash flooding, which is the main threat through early Saturday.
Dangerous flooding has been occurring across much of northern Mississippi, northern Alabama and northern Georgia as bands of heavy rain and strong thunderstorms move through the area. People were rescued from flash floods in several Alabama counties on Christmas Day, and mudslides were reported in parts of northwest Georgia.
Roads have been washed out in many locations across northern Alabama, prompting the governor to issue a state of emergency for the entire state. In addition to the flooding, at least a few tornadoes were reported in the northern half of the state.
(MORE: Latest News on Tornado Damage and Flooding)
Saturday and Sunday, the potential for flash flooding will become even more widespread, while a threat of severe storms moves east from Texas to the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Flood Alerts
Short-Term Thunderstorm Forecast
- Threat areas: A few strong to severe storms may fire along the front from northern Georgia southwestward to eastern Texas and Louisiana. Flash flooding will continue to be a significant threat from northern Mississippi to eastern Tennessee.
- Potential threats: Locally damaging wind gusts, heavy rain, flooding and a few brief tornadoes.
- Cities: Birmingham | Jackson, Mississippi | Shreveport, Louisiana
- Threat areas: North and central Texas, southern to eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas, where thunderstorms will develop during the afternoon and evening hours. Locally heavy rain and flooding may include this area and extend northeast into Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, northern Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.
- Potential threats: Damaging winds, large hail, a few tornadoes and flash flooding.
- Cities: Dallas-Fort Worth | San Antonio
Saturday's Thunderstorm Forecast
- Threat areas: A line of strong to severe thunderstorms is expected to approach the I-35 corridor from Oklahoma to North Texas in the morning. Through the day, those storms will progress east across Texas and into Arkansas and Louisiana. A few additional supercell thunderstorms may also form out ahead of the main line. Locally heavy rain will continue to pose a flooding threat across parts of Missouri and Arkansas.
- Potential threats: Damaging winds, a few tornadoes, flash flooding and a few instances of hail.
- Cities: Houston | Jackson, Mississippi | Shreveport
Sunday's Thunderstorm Forecast
- The threat of severe weather may continue in parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and the Florida panhandle.
Total Rainfall Forecast
Current Radar with Watches and Warnings
Latest Radar
For radar and watch/warning information in other areas of the country, click on the links below.
(MORE: View National Interactive Radar Map | Difference Between a Watch and a Warning)
Storm Reports this Week
Christmas Day (Friday):A possible tornado caused tree damage about three miles southwest of the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Thunderstorms caused downed trees and power lines on the north side of Columbus, Mississippi.
A possible tornado affected the southwest side of Birmingham, Alabama early Friday evening, where local officials reported structural damage and residents trapped in their homes. As of Friday night, the city of Birmingham reported than a two square mile radius area suffered damage from the storm.
High water left numerous roads impassable in Cleveland, Tennessee. Several feet of water flooded a home and bridges were washed out in the Fairview, Alabama vicinity.
It was the wettest Christmas Day on record in both Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama, as well as Knoxville and Chattanooga in Tennessee.
Thursday:
Tree damagee near Culloden, Alabama may have been caused by a tornado in the morning. Further west, an isolated supercell caused a tornado in El Dorado County, California during the afternoon. Multiple videos shared over social media showed a relatively small tornado in the vicinity of Folsom Lake. Spotty, minor damage was reported from that tornado.
A flash flood emergency was issued for Gilmer County, Georgia, where river gauges were near or approaching record levels. Rescues and evacuations were reported in the county as well, according to an emergency manager report to the National Weather Service.
Recent heavy rain caused mudslides in Macon County, North Carolina, and flash flooding in other parts of northern Georgia.
Wednesday:
The preliminary estimated tornado count for Wednesday is 23, according to severe weather expert Dr. Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel.
The first in a series of tornadoes across Mississippi and Tennessee struck the area near and immediately east of Clarksdale, Mississippi, shortly after 3 p.m. CST. Damage from an "exceptionally long-track, violent tornado" carved a path across most of northwestern Mississippi, extending into southwestern Tennessee, or a distance of greater than 100 miles. Storm survey results from the National Weather Service later this week will conclude if this damage was one from continuous tornado or multiple, shorter-lasting tornadoes.
As of Friday evening, at least two of the tornadoes were rated at EF3 intensity. Elsewhere, isolated tornadoes have been confirmed in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and West Virginia. Michigan observed their first December tornado on record and a few other tornadoes were also reported in Arkansas and Illinois.
Tornado Reports
(MORE: Deadliest December Tornadoes)
About 170 reports of wind damage have been received in a swath from southeast Oklahoma, eastward across the Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley, to as far north as southeastern Lower Michigan between 7 a.m EST Wednesday and 7 a.m. EST Thursday. The most significant wind-damage was in Sharp County, Arkansas, where several homes were reportedly destroyed. There have been multiple reports of large hail, mainly from eastern Arkansas into Kentucky, which have caused some damage to vehicles.
Tuesday:
There were no significant severe weather reports on Tuesday, however heavy rain did cause some flash flooding in parts of South Carolina, including around the Columbia area.
Monday:
The National Weather Service confirmed three EF1 tornadoes in southwest Louisiana on Monday.
There were reports of trees down near Calcasieu, Louisiana, along with power outages and one person injured in a camping trailer. South of Alexandria, Louisiana near Woodworth, winds during a thunderstorm damaged a car and trees were downed.
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