Threat of severe weather continues Thursday with 98 million people in danger from Texas to the East Coast
Thursday is shaping up to be another potentially dangerous day of severe weather, with an estimated 98 million people from Texas to the East Coast at risk of seeing thunderstorms capable of producing large hail, devastating wind gusts and possible tornadoes.
ATLANTA — The deadly multi-day outbreak of extreme weather that has hit the central United States this week just won’t stop as tens of millions of people in the South brace for more extreme weather on Thursday , and concerns are growing about the development of a potential derecho and the destruction of the region. powerful thunderstorms accompanied by destructive wind gusts of hurricane force.
Clusters of potentially dangerous thunderstorms developed throughout the morning and are expected to continue to appear throughout the day from Texas to the mid-Atlantic.
Intense storms swept across the Tennessee Valley and Southeast, prompting officials to issue multiple severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings and flash flood warnings.
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Several Tornado watches have also been issued throughout the Southeast and last until Thursday afternoon or evening and include major cities such as metro Atlanta; Columbia, South Carolina; and Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery in Alabama.
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Severe thunderstorms caused travel problems Thursday morning when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made two ground stops at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) due to severe weather conditions in the area. The first ground control was lifted at 9:15 a.m., but the second will not be lifted until 11:45 a.m.
The FAA said there was a medium chance the ground stop could be extended.
And severe weather remains in place for the rest of the day. Nearly 22 million people, from Texas to South Carolina, are at risk of severe thunderstorms at Level 3 out of 5 on the National Weather Service’s 5-point Severe Thunderstorm Risk Scale.
This includes cities such as Dallas, Waco and Austin in Texas, Shreveport in Louisiana, Jackson in Mississippi, Birmingham in Alabama and Atlanta and Savannah in Georgia.
A slow-moving frontal boundary that produced days of tornadoes from the Plains to the South-Central will once again be the focal point of the precipitation streaks.
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Unlike the activity earlier in the week, the main storm-related threats appear to be hail and damaging winds rather than tornadoes. However, a few tornadoes are possible from central and northern Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley and southeast.
Meteorologists might use the terms quasi-linear convective system, squall line or even bow echo to describe Thursday’s activity, which poses a significant wind threat.
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The primary purpose of any statement issued by the NWS is to protect life and property.
The SPC warned that some storms may be capable of producing wind gusts reaching hurricane force, and wind damage has already been reported in the Southeast.
In Tennessee, there are numerous reports of downed trees in Sequatchie County, and several large trees were toppled during multiple power outages in the Middle Valley area of Hamilton County.
Trees were also toppled in the Lakeview and Boynton areas of Catoosa County, Georgia.
The FOX Forecast Center also warned that the hail threat is expected to be significant in Texas.
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Power outages in the area are also on the rise as severe weather hits the area.
More than 230,000 outages were reported in five states, with Tennessee and North Carolina particularly hard hit.
According to poweroutage.us, more than 86,000 outages were reported in Tennessee and more than 83,000 in North Carolina, up from nearly 100,000 earlier in the day.
For safety reasons, work to repair downed power lines and utility poles cannot begin until the threat of severe weather has passed, so some outages may last for an extended period of time.
Severe Weather Forecast for Friday
The risk of storms is expected to persist through at least Friday in the Southeast, but no outbreak of organized severe weather is expected.
Despite the lack of organization, any thunderstorm that develops can become severe, with hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.
Cities such as Mobile, Alabama, Tallahassee, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina are included in the increased risk area for strong to severe storms.
Beyond Friday, the frontal boundary is expected to extend offshore, keeping the region free of thunderstorms through the weekend.
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News Source : www.foxweather.com
