US weather authorities have issued a storm alert over the threat posed by a potential large storm in the Central US this week.
The alert indicates the formation of a cross-country storm causing severe weather across 11 Central states from the mid-to-late week.
Based on the forecast, the storm may bring life-threatening thunderstorms and tornadoes. Its intensity may range from heavy snowfall, torrential rain, to severe thunderstorms.
The latest storm has brought the number of storms in early 2022 to be larger than in previous years.
The US meteorologists have also forecasted that the storm may navigate at a cross-country level; that will affect not only the Central US but also the Eastern and Southern US in the coming days.
Prior to the storm, a relatively warmer temperature is expected from Monday to Tuesday, Feb. 14 to Feb. 15.
Large-Scale Storm in the Central, Eastern, and Southern US
On Sunday, Feb. 13, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - National Weather Service (NWS) stated a severe storm system will start early this week and evolve into a large-scale and multi-hazard storm from the mid-to-late week.
The NOAA - NWS elaborated the storm may bring heavy rain with potential flooding, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes not only to Central US but also to the Eastern and Southern US.
The US weather authorities issued a storm alert that the storm's scope may reach a cross-country level.
Also read: A Particularly Intense Winter Storm Expected to Ravage Central and Western US
Hotspots of the Storm
The most affected locations of the storm will be from central Texas, southern Iowa, and central Tennessee to the Louisiana coast, as per AccuWeather.
AccuWeather meteorologists issued a storm alert for the risk of severe weather with damaging hail, tornadoes, winds, and flooding due to heavy rain in these regions.
Furthermore, the AccuWeather forecast shows that the storm may specifically hit the cities of Dallas, Oklahoma, Tulsa, Shreveport, Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, Nashville, Louiseville, and Kentucky from Wednesday to Thursday, Feb. 16 to Feb. 17.
NOAA Statistics of Tornadoes in the US
The latest looming storm in the country has brought the attention of the US weather authorities that the number of storms as of early 2022 is greater than in previous years.
Based on a preliminary report from the NOAA - National Centers for Environment Information (NCEI), the number of tornadoes across the US as of January 2022 is 48 while tornadoes in 2021 were only 16.
The report indicates that the number of tornadoes in the US this year is significantly greater than last year.
The report is based on the NOAA - NCEI tornado statistics database provided by the Storm Prediction Center.
The ranges between January 1950 and January 2022. Further information is found with the NOAA - NCEI's Monthly Tornado Report and Tornado Count Methodology.
US Weather Authorities Warn of Potential Disruption
The upcoming storm is associated with travel-related disruption.
As a result, the US weather authorities issued a warning for the potential disruption that the storm may cause.
They further advised that residents should take precautions due to the hazards posed by the storm's severe weather.
The storm's strong winds may blow debris and its heavy rain may cause flooding, which can eventually disrupt travel, even on major routes, such as interstates 20, 30, 40, 44, and 55.
In addition, the storm may also cause power outages and disruption of both domestic and international flights.
Related article: Winter Storm: Blizzard Conditions Affects 100 Million People Across the US