We've already seen deadly tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash flooding this weekend, and the threat continues into Monday on the warm side of Winter Storm Goliath as it slowly pushes farther east.
Sunday, at least a pair of tornadoes appear to have touched down in southern Arkansas, one with damage in the town of Bearden.
(MORE: Tornadoes, Midwest Flooding Latest News)
Flash flooding turned deadly Saturday night into Sunday in parts of southwest Missouri and southern Illinois, and flooding was reported from east Texas to Indiana and Kentucky Sunday. By Sunday evening, parts of the Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas had picked up over 10 inches of rain and flooding was widespread in the Ozarks.
The potential for flooding will also continue through at least Monday, while the threat of severe storms gradually moves east from Texas to the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Below are more details on the forecast. You will also find the latest radar imagery along with watches and warnings.
- Threat areas: A line of strong to severe thunderstorms is expected move eastward through east Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. Additional supercell thunderstorms may also form out ahead of the main line, posing the greatest severe threat. Storms may reach western and central Mississippi and southeast Louisiana overnight. Locally heavy rain will continue to pose a major flood threat from parts of eastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas, Missouri and Arkansas to the Ohio Valley.
- Potential threats: Damaging winds, several tornadoes, flash flooding and large hail.
- Cities: Shreveport | Little Rock
Thunderstorm Forecast Next 12 Hours
- Threat areas: Scattered thunderstorms, some which will be strong to severe, will move east across Kentucky, Tennessee, eastern Mississippi, Alabama, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. Heavy rain will once again trigger flash flooding over portions of the South.
- Potential threats: Damaging winds, flash flooding and a tornado or two.
- Cities: Birmingham | Pensacola, Florida | Nashville
Monday's Thunderstorm Forecast
Additional Rainfall Forecast
Latest Radar
For radar and watch/warning information in other areas of the country, click on the links below.
Flood Alerts
Storm Reports this Week-Weekend
Sunday:Torrential rain triggered major flooding in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
An Oklahoma mesonet site at Tahlequah measured just over 10 inches of total rainfall this weekend, as of Sunday evening. Multiple water rescues were reported in southern Missouri and homes were flooded in the towns of Noel and Anderson, Missouri. Flooding shutdown a stretch of Interstate 49 in Carthage, Missouri and eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 in St. Peters, Missouri.
Widespread flooding was reported in Hopkins, Franklin and Red River Counties, Texas. Almost all secondary roads in Scott County, Arkansas, were closed due to flooding. Roads were also flooded and closed in central and southern Illinois, including the towns of Pana, Windsor, Tuscola and Villa Grove.
An apparent tornado touched down Sunday afternoon in Bearden, Arkansas, in eastern Ouachita County about 85 miles south-southwest of Little Rock, removing roofs from homes and smashing some storefront windows. Another tornado was sighted by law enforcement west of Hampton, Arkansas.
Saturday:
Saturday night, there were multiple reports of damaging tornadoes with fatalities in the greater Dallas area, including a likely tornado that destroyed structures in Lancaster, about 10 miles south of Dallas. EF3 damage was found by a National Weather Service survey team in Rowlett, with city officials saying the tornado was about one-mile wide in the town. EF4 damage was found in Garland, only the third EF4 tornado in Dallas County since 1927.
The Weather Channel Severe Weather Expert, Dr. Greg Forbes initially estimated this tornado may have had a 56-mile track, but that had yet to be confirmed via the NWS storm survey. Vehicles were also flipped over and destroyed on a section of I-30.
Aside from the aforementioned tornado reports, winds gusted to 105 mph at Mid-Way Regional Airport in Midlothian, Texas. Hail to the size of half dollars (1.25 inches) was reported near Apache, Oklahoma.
Elsewhere, morning tornadoes were reported near Byars and Hubbard Hill in Texas, and an unconfirmed tornado was also reported in McClain County, Oklahoma.
An EF-0 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 preliminary EF-2 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.
An EF-0 tornado also has been confirmed near Pineville, Mississippi, which downed trees and damaged a chicken house Friday afternoon.
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.
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, which prompted the governor to issue a state of emergency for the entire state.
It was the wettest Christmas Day on record in both Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama, as well as Knoxville and Chattanooga in Tennessee.
Thursday:
Tree damage 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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