The story goes on under the ad More than 100,000 customers were left without power in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, mainly due to strong winds. The Meteorological Service had received 36 reports of catastrophic winds and 2 reports of tornadoes. Thunderstorms of 30 to 50 miles[30 to 50 km / h]eastward focused on western Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, along with southeastern Louisiana in the late afternoon and early evening. By nightfall, the storms may still be intense as they approach Alabama, but will gradually weaken. Additional strong thunderstorms are possible along the east coast on Thursday and there are indications that April is expected to show significant activity above the average strong thunderstorm and tornado at Lower 48. The story goes on under the ad “Check your safety procedures for severe weather conditions for the possibility of dangerous weather today,” the Storm Forecasting Center urged in a public outlook for strong weather published early Wednesday. Even outside the catastrophic storm line that is expected to form, ambient winds can blow over 50 mph before any thunderstorms occur. “The catastrophic winds will destroy trees and power lines,” the National Meteorological Service wrote in Mobile, Ala. “Extensive power outages are expected.” All of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and Kentucky are included in wind warnings and strong wind warnings – warnings that also extend to a wider area of Southern and Ohio Valley. The story goes on under the ad In the midst of dry, gusty winds before the storm and in the aftermath, there is an increased risk of rapid fires Wednesday in parts of the Tennessee and Texas valleys, where several such flames broke out Tuesday. Lightning struck the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri, western Arkansas and extreme southeastern Oklahoma, as well as northeastern Texas east of Interstate 35. dry air from the Southwest Desert. This dry line was pulled south by a low-pressure system over the corn belt triggered by an approaching upper air disturbance. The story goes on under the ad This same deep-pressure surface zone that deepens will strengthen the south-southeast winds in front of the front, dragging north a gentle and moisture-rich air mass from the Gulf of Mexico and pulling it south. The cloudy weather left over from Tuesday’s storms, however, will prevent heating during the day, which means the air mass will not “stay” as long as it could otherwise. Despite the relatively modest fuel for severe storms, the shear or change in wind speed / direction with altitude is extreme. This is due to a low-level jet roar, or a river of air moving rapidly a mile above the ground, screaming north to the surface low. This means that all clouds that grow high enough will tend to rotate. The Red Zone Level 4 of 5 includes all of Mississippi, western Alabama, eastern Louisiana, and southwestern Tennessee. The story goes on under the ad Memphis? Tupelo, Starkville, Hattiesburg, Meridian and Jackson, Miss. Tuscaloosa, Mobile and Montgomery, Ala .; and Monroe and Alexandria, La., are in the highest risk category. A smaller but even more formidable, Level 3 to 5 enhanced hazard covers Nashville, Little Rock, New Orleans, Birmingham and Huntsville, Ala. It is unclear how far east the line will remain intact before fragmenting and weakening late Wednesday or early Thursday. The storms that developed Wednesday morning took the form of a QLCS, or quasi-linear synchronous system, as they operated at noon in Louisiana. This is essentially a boring line with built-in rotation turns, each of which could become a tornado. The story goes on under the ad Given the regulation, it is worth noting a few things:
There will be storms very quickly across the Deep South. This may reduce early warning of dangerous weather conditions. With strong jets, it will be easy for storms to mix the momentum to the surface. This means extended winds of 60 to 80 mph in thunderstorms. Even in the event of thunderstorms, winds can blow up to 50 miles per hour in front of the storm line and over 35 miles per hour after storms as the winds move from the northwest. There is sufficient wind shear to support scattered rapidly forming, short, and unstable tornadoes along the QLCS. Due to the fast forward of the line, it would not take long for a pair to damage EF2 +. There could also be some built-in rotating thunderstorms or superstorms in the southern parts of the line over southern Mississippi, the Louisiana Delta or southern Alabama.
The storms will run east with speeds exceeding 50 mph. Current forecasts suggest:
Thunderstorms will cross the Mississippi River around 3 or 4 p.m. Central time, affecting cities such as Memphis or Greenville, Natchez and Vicksburg, Miss. The squall line will run through downtown Mississippi during the evening commute around 6 p.m. New Orleans could see thunderstorms around 6 to 7 p.m. Thunderstorms will occur on the Mississippi-Alabama border around 7 or 8 p.m. Thunderstorms arrive in Tuscaloosa at 8 or 9 p.m. and in Birmingham about an hour later. Thunderstorms hit Nashville around 8 or 9 p.m. Mobile, Ala., Could see thunderstorms around 9pm, with storms continuing in the Florida Panhandle thereafter.
The storms will move so fast that they will not “realize” that they have overcome the conditions that feed them long after they have moved east. This means that they are unlikely to fade much until they approach the Georgian border near midnight.
East Coast risk on Thursday On Thursday, heavy thunderstorms are possible from New York State to Florida. The strongest weather zone, classified as Level 2 to 5, covers the Mid-Atlantic from Richmond to Scranton, Pennsylvania, including the Washington-Baltimore area and north Florida to southern South Carolina. “Catastrophic gusts of wind and hail are the main threats, but low vertical shear is strong enough to support one or two tornadoes,” the Storm Prediction Center wrote.
