Tornado Watch in Effect Over South, Central US While Winter Storm Conditions Continue in Midwest

While parts of the Midwest US continue to experience persistent winter storm conditions, areas in the South and Central US are under a tornado watch.

Up until 1 PM ET, six states in the Central and South US were under a tornado watch.

Winter weather advisories and warnings, which this week affected the West and Southwest, are now moving east. On Thursday, they will cross the Great Lakes and reach northern New England.

In the early hours of Thursday, a band of winter storm warnings and together with other advisories continued to stretch from parts of Colorado out across the Plains and into the Midwest, affecting Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, and other states in its path.

The majority of places were forecasting less than a foot of snow, but by Thursday evening, accumulations reaching 10 inches could be seen in Wisconsin, Kansas, and parts of Nebraska and Kansas.

Additionally, a flood watch is in place for Hawaii starting on Thursday morning and lasting through the weekend due to the possibility of flash flooding and perhaps other dangerous conditions.

Tornado Watch for Six States in South and Central US

On Thursday morning, a tornado watch was in effect for parts of six states, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois. The watch was scheduled to expire at 1 PM ET.

Widespread, severe thunderstorms are expected from the central Gulf Coast states and into the Ohio Valley on Day 1 of the convective outlook, according to the NWS Storm Prediction Center. Mississippi, Alabama, and middle Tennessee are the areas where strong tornadoes are expected to occur.

Locals in areas where a tornado warning has been issued are being urged by experts from WSMV4 to review their safety plan, check that mobile devices are charged, and set up their tornado-safe place for occupants.

Winter Storm Conditions Throughout Midwest

On Thursday, a band of winter storm warnings as well as other advisories traced a path of significant snowfall and ice from the Plains area to Maine.

In some areas of Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska, a winter storm warning was only in place until Thursday morning, but snow accumulations of as much as 9 inches remain possible.

Up to 7 inches of snow were predicted to fall by Thursday evening in some areas of Illinois and Iowa. By Thursday night, Wisconsin could receive up to 8 inches of snow. In some areas of Michigan, a winter weather advisory had been in place until Friday morning, warning of the possibility of 6 inches of snowfall and winds as high as 35 mph.

Other US Weather Alerts

Flood Watch, Hawaii

All of the major Hawaiian Islands are under a flood watch from Thursday morning to Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

On the Big Island, there will likely start to be a lot of rain on Thursday, and it will likely continue into the weekend on other islands as well.

According to officials, the rainfall could result in flash flooding. Landslides could occur in areas with steep terrain, and the weather service advised against crossing swift-moving water by foot or vehicle, USA Today reports.