Severe Weather Threatens Millions Across the US
As thunderstorms and tornadoes are set to sweep across the US from the southern plains to the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coast states over the next few days, approximately 50 million Americans are under warnings for severe weather. This period traditionally marks the most active time for tornadoes in the US.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued warnings for the possibility of wind damage, large hail, and tornadoes, with the greatest threat expected from central Kentucky east-northeastward into West Virginia. The potential for large hail, even the size of baseballs in some areas, is a cause for concern.
NWS predicts a slight risk of severe thunderstorms from northern Missouri to central Illinois and Indiana, with an increased risk in southern West Virginia into south central Virginia. On Monday, the risk of thunderstorms is expected to intensify, particularly in central Oklahoma and the lower Ohio Valley, with the potential for very large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes.
The NWS office in Paducah, Kentucky, has warned of severe storms beginning in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois on Monday afternoon, spreading eastward through the night. A severe threat is expected to continue on Tuesday in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and eastward.
Damage from winds exceeding 60mph and large hail over an inch in diameter are primary concerns in central Kentucky and east-northeastward into West Virginia. An upper-level trough is expected to spread across the central Gulf coast states as a cold front advances eastward across the lower Mississippi Valley.
Stay tuned to local weather updates and take necessary precautions as severe weather threatens millions across the US in the coming days.
