Tens of millions of people across theĀ U.S.Ā from the Plains to theĀ SoutheastĀ areĀ preparingĀ for a potential multi-dayĀ severe weatherĀ outbreak this week, with forecasters warning of threats of largeĀ hail, damagingĀ windĀ gusts and even some strongĀ tornadoes.
StrongĀ thunderstormsĀ rolled acrossĀ OklahomaĀ andĀ TexasĀ to end the weekend on Sunday, but the FOX Forecast Center said the more significant severe weather threat will begin late Monday and last through at least Wednesday.
The FOX Forecast Center saidĀ computer forecast modelsĀ are highly confident that ingredients will come together to produce a widespread severe weather event.
This includes a strong area ofĀ low pressureĀ developing in the Plains, which will then pull in warm andĀ humidĀ air from the Gulf.
That will provide theĀ atmosphericĀ energy needed for storms to develop and strengthen.
In addition, forecasters are concerned that strong winds aloft moving over the air mass will provide ampleĀ wind shearĀ ā the change in wind speed and direction with height ā to allow for those storms to rotate.
According to NOAAās Storm Prediction Center (SPC), a rapidly developing line of thunderstorms could produce severe hail, damaging wind gusts and maybe a tornado or two across portions of the southern Plains by Monday night.
Forecasters say someĀ supercell thunderstormsĀ could develop before the storms combine into an organized line, and strong to severe thunderstorms could develop south-southeastward into and across the Interstate 35 corridor from south of theĀ Wichita,Ā Kansas, area, throughĀ Oklahoma CityĀ and into NorthĀ Texas, including theĀ Dallas-Fort WorthĀ Metroplex.
Whatās concerning to forecasters is that many of the storms are expected to develop as we head through the evening and overnight hours and into early Tuesday morning.
More than 41 million from southern Plains to Southeast face severe weather threat Tuesday
As we head into Tuesday, the severe weather threat will explode in population and coverage, with the SPC placing more than 41 million people from eastern portions of Texas andĀ OklahomaĀ into westernĀ GeorgiaĀ and theĀ FloridaĀ Panhandle at risk of severe weather.
However, more than 3.5 million people in southernĀ Arkansas, northern and centralĀ LouisianaĀ and central and southernĀ MississippiĀ have been placed in a level 3 out of 5 risk on the SPCāsĀ 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale.
Cities in the threat zone includeĀ Shreveport,Ā MonroeĀ andĀ Bossier CityĀ in Louisiana,Ā Pine BluffĀ in Arkansas andĀ JacksonĀ in Mississippi.
āWe want you to be prepared ahead of the storm system that is developing and intensifying as itās working its way across theĀ West,ā FOX Weather MeteorologistĀ Kendall SmithĀ said. āAnd by the time it arrives tomorrow (Tuesday), itās going to have all of those severe weather ingredients in place that it needs for this to become a widespread, severe weather, and perhaps even a tornado outbreak.ā
The FOX Forecast Center said that while damaging wind gusts appear to be the main threat from storms that develop, tornadoes could also be a big concern.
Forecasters say some tornadoes could even be strong,Ā EF-2 or higher on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
More than 67 million from Florida to New York face severe weather threat Wednesday
The severe weather threat will continue to barrel across the U.S. by Wednesday, putting more than 67 million people along the East Coast from theĀ SoutheastĀ to theĀ mid-AtlanticĀ at risk of some powerful storms.
The FOX Forecast Center said the line of storms on Wednesday may reenergize with the heating of the day, and that has forecasters concerned about the renewed severe weather risk.
The SPC placed an area from southeasternĀ GeorgiaĀ to southeasternĀ PennsylvaniaĀ in a level 2 out of 5 threat, including cities likeĀ Baltimore,Ā Washington,Ā Virginia BeachĀ andĀ NorfolkĀ inĀ Virginia,Ā WilmingtonĀ andĀ RaleighĀ inĀ North Carolina,Ā Myrtle BeachĀ inĀ South CarolinaĀ andĀ SavannahĀ in Georgia.