A winter storm moving into the central Plains and Upper Midwest this week will likely deliver heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain to sections of the United States, with tornadoes possibly further south.
According to the National Weather Service, the storm will deliver precipitation to the Central High Plains as it moves northeast towards the Great Lakes, generating moderate to heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain by Tuesday.
Winter storm expected to bring snow, freezing rain, and tornadoes
"Intense snow rates of one to two inches per hour may be accompanied by thunder, particularly in southern South Dakota and far southwest Minnesota," the National Weather Service said in an early Monday prediction update, as per the BBC.
More than 12 inches of heavy snow is likely to fall swiftly from the Nebraska Panhandle to southwest Minnesota, according to the forecast.
Strong winds are also forecast to create areas of blowing and drifting snow, which the meteorological service warns might result in snow-covered roads and limited visibility, posing possible travel concerns.
According to the National Weather Service, the weather system is also forecast to produce heavy freezing rain in northeastern Nebraska and southern Minnesota regions.
It cautioned that the freezing rain might complicate traffic and create power shortages.
According to the meteorological service, moisture from the Western Gulf of Mexico is likely to flow northward over the Western Gulf Coast/Lower Mississippi Valley, with the Plains front moving into the moisture, resulting in showers and severe thunderstorms across the area on Monday morning.
From Monday to Tuesday morning, the Lower Mississippi Valley is highly likely to have severe thunderstorms.
Heavy rain is also forecast as a result of the thunderstorms, with the National Weather Service issuing a minor risk of excessive rainfall across areas of the Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley on Monday and Tuesday.
"The concomitant heavy rain will produce primarily localized flash floods, with urban areas, highways, and small streams being the most vulnerable," the meteorological agency predicted.
Severe thunderstorms are possible in parts of east Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and northern Louisiana on Monday afternoon and evening.
Nearly 19 million people are in the path of storms that could bring tornadoes, catastrophic wind gusts, floods, and hail.
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Tornado reports signal the start of a multi-day severe weather outbreak in South
The Ark-La-Tex area has the highest likelihood of severe storms, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
As of 7 p.m., the region was under Tornado Watch, and at least 20 Tornado Warnings had been issued. CT., with a verified tornado sighting in Ruston, Louisiana, amid a Tornado Warning.
The storm hit around 2:44 p.m. when school was in session, but there were no reports of injuries, according to the sheriff's office.
A few other residences near the school were also damaged by the storm, but no one was injured.
This dangerous weather pattern called a "Colorado Low" because of where it intensifies, pushed east off the Rocky Mountains on Monday morning.
One of the most concerning aspects of this atmosphere is that we're seeing temperatures in the upper 70s, and 80s, with near 70-degree dew points, which is very unusual for this time of year and can easily lead to severe weather if other factors are present, according to Brad Bryant, Meteorologist-in-Charge for the National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Bryant's office sent out a third weather balloon for the day, which is unusual.
He stated that the additional data can help in issuing warnings.
"The storms will be more widely dispersed in general, but something to keep an eye out for," FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said.
Because isolated strong thunderstorms might occur in the afternoon, they can create massive weather.
Everything from tornadoes to golf-ball-sized hail is on the table here.
Wind gusts of up to 65 mph have been recorded.
Those storms will rage on throughout the night as well. Because of the timing of the storms, the NWS in Little Rock, Arkansas has issued public notifications via FOX Weather and social media.
While we're concentrating on southwest Arkansas this afternoon, the majority of this storm will occur after dark throughout the nighttime hours, according to NWS Little Rock Lead Forecaster John Lewis.
"So that's a very, very risky time of day to be vulnerable to severe weather."
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