
(Weather Underground) A dangerous outbreak of severe thunderstorms in the South today could produce strong tornadoes, destructive straight-line winds and large hail as flooding rain takes aim at the Ohio Valley.
Here's what's happening right now. -- A broad area of rain and thunderstorms stretches from Texas to the Ohio Valley, as shown on the radar map below.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch valid until 7 p.m. CT for portions of southwest Arkansas, northwest Louisiana, extreme southeast Oklahoma and east Texas. A few tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail are possible in the area shaded in red above. A possible tornado caused damage near Poolville, Texas, earlier this morning and two flooding deaths have been reported overnight in Wright County, Missouri.
The threat will peak in the South through this evening. An outbreak of severe storms is expected in the South during the afternoon and evening hours, especially across parts of the lower Mississippi Valley (areas shaded red in the map below). This includes Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana; Greenville and Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Supercell thunderstorms and a squall line of severe storms could impact parts of this region and produce tornadoes, widespread wind damage and large hail. This might include the possibility of strong tornadoes (EF2 or greater strength).
The chance of severe weather will generally advance from west to east across the severe weather risk areas shown below from this afternoon into the overnight hours, including the possibility of tornadoes after dark in some locations. The worst weather will generally occur between 5 p.m. and 12 a.m central time today.
Multi-inch rainfall totals are possible from the Ohio Valley into the mid-Mississippi Valley and mid-South through Friday night. As a result, the National Weather Service has issued flood watches from the eastern half of Oklahoma to the Ohio Valley. This is where flash flooding and minor to moderate river flooding is possible.