Severe storms to threaten lives and property from southeastern US to Ohio Valley Wednesday

By Faith Eherts, AccuWeather meteorologist

April 4,2017, 9:41:50PM,EDT

 

 While many may still be reeling from storms early this week, another system will return the threat of severe weather to the eastern U.S. by Wednesday.

Warm and humid air is poised to surge through the Southeast and set the stage for powerful storms to form.
"The severe weather threat includes the potential for tornadoes, some of which can be strong," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.
The first severe weather associated with the new storm will erupt over the Central states in portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri Tuesday night.
The storms will roughly parallel the Interstate-44 corridor from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Joplin and Springfield, Missouri.
A confirmed tornado tracked near Goodman, Missouri on Tuesday evening leading to building damage, according to emergency managers.

The main threat of severe weather with the storm will focus farther to the east by midweek.
“April is the severe weather season for the southern United States and in true fashion there will be strong-to-severe thunderstorms developing over a broad area in the Southeast late Tuesday night and Wednesday,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Rinde.
These storms could threaten heavily populated areas from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley. The anticipated outbreak of severe weather could evolve into a dangerous situation with a significant threat to lives and property.
"The first violent storms in the Southern states are likely to erupt late Tuesday night and could hit some communities while people are asleep," Margusity said.
The greatest chance of predawn severe storms, including isolated tornadoes will extend from southern Mississippi to Alabama and western Georgia.
The risk of severe thunderstorms, including tornadoes will expand northward to parts of Indiana and eastward to portions of West Virginia, Virginia and the Carolinas as Wednesday progresses.
“The worst of the storms are likely from Alabama and northern Florida into Georgia,” Rinde said.

It is possible that some communities are hit by more than one severe thunderstorm and under the threat of a tornado more than once from late Tuesday night to Wednesday night.
The threat for multiple severe thunderstorms includes the cities of Atlanta, Augusta and Columbus, Georgia; Montgomery, Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Pensacola, Florida; and Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina.
Large hail and damaging wind gusts will also be possible in any storms.
“Any vehicles left exposed to these threats can sustain significant damage, so residents in the path of these dangerous storms should be sure to move their vehicles into a garage or protected area,” according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott.
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Central Georgia, where over 20 tornadoes were reported on Monday, will again be under fire from similarly powerful storms.
“There will be a high risk for tornado development in the storms at midweek,” Rinde said.
Storms will continue to barrel towards the coast Wednesday night, impacting Wilmington, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Jacksonville, Florida.
Residents of these areas should be prepared for severe overnight weather, including sheltering pets, covering cars and setting the volume of weather radios and cell phones to an audible level.
While storms will likely continue to contribute to drought relief, torrential downpours over the recently saturated ground could lead to flash flooding.
Motorists should be careful to avoid flooded roadways.
As the wet weather swings into the Northeast for the end of the week, cooler weather will blow into the South.