Georgia, Florida Endure Dangerous Multiple Tornadoes, Forecast Says Texas is Next

According to forecasts made in response to reports of the numerous tornadoes that ripped through Georgia and Florida, Texas is the next area of concern.

Multiple Tornadoes: South US

As a new storm threatens Texas with severe weather and the potential for tornadoes, numerous tornadoes were reported in different parts of Florida and Georgia on Thursday.

On Thursday, seven tornadoes were reported in southern Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. On Thursday afternoon, west of Tallahassee, a sizable and incredibly dangerous tornado was confirmed. Homes in the area of Hosford reportedly suffered significant damage.

As severe storms moved eastward across the southeast Big Bend, the straight-line damaging wind gusted to 76 mph near Panama City, Florida.

Texas is Next

The majority of eastern Texas, from Dallas to Corpus Christi and south to Houston, is expected to experience severe weather on Friday due to another storm.

Large hail, tornadoes, and damaging winds over 75 mph are all possible. Between 3 and 7 PM CT on Friday, there will be the greatest tornado risk from Dallas to Waco.

This severe threat returns to the Florida Panhandle along with southern Georgia and Alabama on Saturday. The greatest threat will come from damaging winds, but a few tornadoes aren't entirely ruled out, ABC News reports.

Storm Level 3

According to the Storm Prediction Center, there is a significant risk of severe thunderstorms for more than 12 million Texans, including those in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Austin are among the Level 3 of 5 threats.

Baseball-sized hail and wind gusts up to hurricane speed (74 mph) are potential hazards for the state. In the late afternoon and early evening, a few tornadoes are also possible, according to forecasters at the National Weather Service.

Hail 1.75 inches wide was reported Thursday in several Florida cities, in addition to the tennis ball-sized hail that pounded parts of Texas and Florida on Wednesday, and thousands in northern Florida did not have any power supply, CNN reports.

Hail the size of a grapefruit was seen on Wednesday in Waco, Texas, FOX News reports

According to FOX News, in Central Florida, where storms were also occurring, an unusually large amount of cold air in the atmosphere combined with the prevailing Gulf and Atlantic sea breezes produced a lot of hail.

Enhanced Severe Thunderstorms

According to Hunter Reeves of the NWS Fort Worth, an "enhanced" severe thunderstorm outlook is in place for several North Texas counties on Friday, including Dallas and Tarrant. According to the weather service, strong to severe storms with hail up to 2 inches are possible in the area between 3 and 9 PM, Dallas Morning News reports.

A longwave mid- and upper-level trough is expected to intensify over the central and eastern Continental United States on Saturday, according to the Storm Prediction Center. A shortwave that was initially positively tilted over the southern Plains will become neutrally tilted as it quickly moves through the base of the actuating longwave trough to the east.

A surface low is anticipated to form along a front located across the northern Gulf of Mexico ahead of the ejecting shortwave trough and continue to progress northeastward into the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia. The development of convection across the Gulf of Mexico, which is currently uncertain, will have some bearing on the front's location and the strength/track of the surface cyclone.