02/04/2024
A severe weather outbreak is possible today across the Ohio Valley, with the risk of severe storms also extending into parts of the Southeast. The main threats include strong and potentially long-track tornadoes, particularly from Indiana and Ohio southward into the Mid South. The threat for strong tornadoes may focus on parts of Alabama and Georgia later this evening and into tonight.
The primary factors contributing to this severe weather outbreak are:
* A powerful storm system moving across the central United States
* Strong winds at various levels of the atmosphere, which will help to fuel severe storms
* Warm, moist air in place ahead of the storm system, providing instability for storms to develop
In the Ohio Valley, a line of storms early in the day may pose a risk for wind damage and a couple of tornadoes before moving eastward. In the wake of these storms, warm and humid air will flow northward, creating conditions favorable for the development of severe storms during the afternoon. These storms could produce tornadoes, large to very large hail, and damaging wind gusts. Some of these tornadoes could be strong and long-lived.
Farther east, strong to severe storms may continue across the central Appalachians and perhaps move into the Mid-Atlantic states, with hail and wind being the primary threats.
In the Southeast, particularly in Tennessee, Mississippi, and northern Alabama, severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon. These storms will have the potential to produce all types of severe weather, including tornadoes. As the storm system moves eastward and winds aloft strengthen, the threat for tornadoes, including a few strong tornadoes, will shift into central and eastern Alabama, Georgia, and eventually reaching the Carolinas and the eastern Florida Panhandle late tonight.
People living in these regions should be prepared for a potentially significant severe weather outbreak today and tonight. Stay informed about the latest forecasts, warnings, and advice from local officials and the National Weather Service, and be ready to take action if severe weather threatens your area.