Severe thunderstorms are predicted to hit a wide swath of the central United States until early Monday morning, with threats of huge hail, destructive winds, and tornadoes from northeast Texas to the Ohio Valley.
According to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, the storms will begin in Missouri and Illinois on Sunday afternoon and spread southward into Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee by the evening. The system is forecast to be active overnight, with peak danger lasting until at least 6 a.m. Monday.
The greatest dangers include hail larger than 2.5 inches in diameter, wind gusts greater than 70 mph, and multiple tornadoes, some of which might be severe. The heightened danger zone includes cities such as Little Rock, Memphis, St. Louis, Louisville, Indianapolis, and Columbus. Red-dashed locations are most vulnerable to tornadoes, whereas green-dashed areas are more likely to experience large hail storms.
We encourage residents to stay weather-aware, review their emergency plans, and prepare to seek shelter in the event of issued warnings. Travel difficulties and power outages are possible.
This severe event comes after a relatively peaceful start to spring, but it is consistent with comparable high-risk systems encountered in late March in previous years. Officials recommend that you check weather.gov or spc.noaa.gov for updates and local advisories.
