Southern US braces for another severe storm outbreak
Millions of people across the South are bracing for another severe weather outbreak Thursday, just a week after dozens of tornadoes tore across the region.
Several long-track, strong tornadoes, large hail and damaging wind gusts are all possible Thursday and Thursday night, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said.
Long-track tornadoes are twisters that carve up the ground for several miles, often causing devastating damage.
States in the highest-risk area include Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. In all, some 50 million people live where severe storms are possible Thursday, including the cities of Birmingham, Alabama; Jackson, Mississippi; and Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee.
“The worst-case scenario includes the potential for a ‘violent’ (EF-4) tornado,” the weather service in Birmingham said.
Localized flash flooding could also be a concern in many of the same areas at risk for severe weather, Weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said. The includes the central Gulf Coast and the Tennessee and Ohio valleys.
Severe weather and rainfall “are a recipe for a dangerous weather setup in the Mid-south on Thursday,” the weather service’s Weather Prediction Center warned. Ashlyn Jackson, a meteorologist at the weather service’s Jackson office, encouraged residents to have more than one warning system in place in case severe weather comes to the area.