Thunderstorm Alert: Severe Weather Forecasted from Southern Plains to Southeast US This Week [NWS]

A severe thunderstorm alert has been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) in multiple regions of the United States this week, with the most recent in areas from the southern Plains to the Southeast US. According to the latest NWS forecast on Friday, March 15, there is a chance for severe weather and excessive rainfall to shift south into the Southeast and Gulf Coast states. Isolated tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible.

Earlier this week, the weather service also issued a thunderstorm alert for the Central US, where the potential for hail and twisters threatened the Mississippi Valley and the Central Plains. Under the latest US weather forecast, scattered strong to severe thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain are possible eastward from the Texas Hill Country across the Southeast starting Friday. This adverse weather could continue into the weekend.

Severe Thunderstorm Alert

In its severe thunderstorm alert at 3:46 p.m. EDT (local time) on Friday, the NWS' Weather Prediction Center (WPC) reported that a slow-moving cold front will eventually stall along the Gulf Coast and be the focus for thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. On Friday evening, scattered to isolated thunderstorms (some of which can be severe) will develop with the cold front ranging from the Edwards Plateau into south-central Texas.

The prediction center also mentioned an "Enhanced Risk (level 3/5) of Severe Thunderstorms" is in effect for the affected areas mentioned tonight. Meanwhile, a "Slight Risk (level 2/5)" will extend from the central Gulf Coast and into the Florida panhandle, where the occurrence of very large hail and isolated damaging winds are expected. Furthermore, flooding due to torrential rain associated with the severe weather is also possible.

Winter Storm Forecast

Aside from the looming severe storms, the NWS is also monitoring a winter storm that is expected to produce waves of heavy snow in high-altitude areas of the Southwest US and Four Corners region into the weekend. With this, the US weather agency issued a winter storm alert for six states: California, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. This comes as the winter storm impacted the Western US on Friday morning.

For the affected states, light to heavy snow and colder temperatures are expected to descend in the coming hours and until Sunday, March 17. Although the winter season is nearing its end, the storm could still cause potential damage and travel disruption, including delayed or canceled flights. The same risks go for severe weather battering the south and southeastern states, where life-threatening tornadoes can occur.

Thunderstorm development is common during the warmer months after winter, which specifically starts at spring in late March. However, this weather phenomenon can still occur at any time of the year in the US, according to the NWS. In 2023, a total of 83 deaths have been reported due to tornado outbreaks across the US.