Threat for severe storms ramping up on the Gulf Coast

AccuWeather

Extreme meteorologist Dr. Reed Timmer reported from the scene in Louisiana as the risk for tornadoes and flash floods increased from Louisiana to Alabama.

Transcript

00:00 A tornado watch has been issued by the Storm Prediction Center, including moderate probabilities

00:05 for a tornado potential stretching from southeastern Louisiana all the way through southern Mississippi

00:10 into southern Alabama.

00:11 And we've definitely had several attempts at supercells maturing near the Lake Pontchartrain

00:15 area so far today.

00:16 And we've had a couple of severe thunderstorm warnings as well off to the west and to the

00:20 south of Baton Rouge along the I-10 corridor.

00:22 As those storms move off to the east into the stronger low-level wind shear, they definitely

00:26 will have the potential of producing tornadoes, but it is a conditional threat.

00:30 As you can see, a lot of cloud cover here across the area that weakens the instability

00:35 a little bit.

00:36 You really need the breaks in the clouds to get that surface heating to guarantee intense

00:40 surface-based supercell storms.

00:42 So far today, that's been a limiting factor for the severe weather threat.

00:46 But as the wave and surface load deepens and ejects, we think that the conditions are going

00:51 to become more favorable for tornado potential through this evening and off to the east as

00:55 it moves from southeastern Louisiana through southern Mississippi, eventually into southern

00:59 Alabama.

01:00 And right now, I'm tracking intensifying storms just off to the west that are starting to

01:04 move into the stronger wind shear, and those could have some greater tornado potential

01:08 as well.

01:09 Even if the tornado potential is not realized, the threat of flash flooding is also a major

01:14 concern.

01:15 It could even be four to eight inches of rainfall, especially where those storms are training

01:19 over the same areas.

01:21 There's already numerous flash flood warnings off to the north across Jackson, extending

01:25 east into west central Alabama.

01:27 So certainly make sure that you stay tuned to those severe weather watches and warnings

01:31 in and around the tornado watch area.

01:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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