Severe storms, tornadoes to rip across Mississippi Valley Tuesday

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

February 2,2016; 10:56AM,EST

 

 

A severe weather outbreak, including the threat of tornadoes, will erupt across the Mississippi Valley and Deep South into Tuesday night.
Thunderstorms began to fire up during Tuesday morning over part of the Mississippi Valley.
The number of severe thunderstorms will increase during the afternoon from southern Illinois and Indiana to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The strongest thunderstorms could spin up a few tornadoes. However, the greatest threat will be damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 mph that could topple trees and bring down power lines. Power outages are also possible.

"The area at greatest risk for the outbreak of severe weather lies between Little Rock, Arkansas, and Nashville, Tennessee, during Tuesday afternoon and early evening," According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski. "This includes Jackson, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee."
A severe thunderstorm could also erupt as far north as St. Louis and Indianapolis and as far south as New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama.
Since the threat of thunderstorms with damaging winds and tornadoes will extend beyond the daylight hours, this developing outbreak is especially dangerous.
Individuals and families should have a plan of action in place ahead of the storms. Make sure batteries are charged and flashlights are in working order.

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity, "The thunderstorms will organize into a squall line which will sweep across the area packing damaging winds in some locations and a burst of windswept heavy rain in many places."
There may be quick spin-up of tornadoes within this line of thunderstorms. However, the potential for a couple of strong, long-tracking tornadoes is greatest ahead of the squall line.
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The squall line has the potential to down trees and cause sporadic power outages. Avoid parking or standing beneath trees as the storms move through.
The burst of rain in a short amount of time could lead to some street flooding. Those traveling on interstates 10, 20, 40, 55 and 59 will face torrential downpours and an excessive amount of water on the road surface.
The risk of damaging thunderstorms, including a few tornadoes, will continue in portions of Tennessee and Alabama into Tuesday night.
The line of storms will turn into mainly a damaging wind threat across the Ohio Valley, lower Great Lakes and into the central Appalachians later Tuesday night into early Wednesday.

Areas from Nashville, Tennessee, to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, New York, will be at risk for damaging wind gusts and power outages both with and without thunder and lightning.
While the risk of violent storms will be less along the Atlantic Seaboard on Wednesday, there will still be a threat for flooding downpours and strong wind gusts with storms across the Southeast. Very localized severe thunderstorms are possible from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Tampa, Florida.
Despite the absence of thunderstorms in the central and northern Appalachians and the coastal Northeast, strong wind gusts can occur in the absence of thunderstorms. Loose items will be blown around and sporadic power outages are possible.
Localized flooding is also possible across portions of the Northeast as heavy rain will melt any lingering snow from the Blizzard of 2016, which could overload storm drains and streams.
While this storm spawns severe weather in some states, it will also be responsible for bringing a blizzard to others on the northern and western side of it. This storm system will be responsible for sending an extended period of cold air into much of the northern and eastern United States for the end of the week and weekend.