Severe Storms to Batter U.S. Through Mother's Day Weekend with Thunderstorms, Tornados, and Flooding

If you were planning to do something outside with the mom in your life for Mother's Day, you might want to check the radar first. Mother's Day weekend is shaping up to be anything but peaceful across a large swath of the United States, as a persistent severe weather pattern continues to threaten lives and property from the Gulf Coast to the Plains.

A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect Saturday morning for portions of Harrison and Hancock counties in Mississippi, issued by the National Weather Service in New Orleans. At 8 a.m. CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Diamondhead, moving east at 40 mph. The NWS is warning of 60 mph wind gusts and penny-size hail, with impacts including expected damage to roofs, siding and trees across a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast.

Locations currently in the warning area include Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Diamondhead, Kiln and Gulfport Airport, as well as Interstate 10 in Mississippi between mile markers 11 and 39. Tornado development is possible. The NWS urges anyone in the path of these storms to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building immediately.

Severe Weather Over the Weekend

Saturday's Gulf Coast storms are part of a larger, persistent severe weather pattern that AccuWeather says shows no sign of letting up through the weekend.

"The pattern conducive to severe weather is not letting up yet," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said. "People, especially in the South Central and Southeastern states, need to stay alert and have multiple ways to receive warnings that can wake them up at night."

Earlier this week, powerful tornadoes tore through Mississippi on Wednesday night, destroying homes and leaving vehicles mangled. A dozen or so tornadoes formed — spawned by just two supercell thunderstorms — demonstrating how quickly dangerous conditions can develop even without an extreme setup. Many of those tornadoes were rain-wrapped, making them difficult to see or hear and adding significantly to the danger.

The severe weather risk will continue to evolve through Sunday. On Saturday, the Plains face a return of storm threats, with some of the strongest storms capable of producing hail, damaging wind gusts and flooding downpours, along with a low but nonzero tornado risk.

Farther south, a larger zone of severe thunderstorms is forecast across Texas through Friday night, expanding from the Rio Grande Valley in the afternoon to portions of central Texas — including areas near Houston, Austin and San Angelo — by nightfall. The main threats remain damaging winds and large hail.

On Sunday, the most widespread coverage shifts to northeastern Texas, southwestern Arkansas and northwestern Louisiana, where conditions are forecast to be similar to Saturday's.

Flooding Threat Along the Gulf Coast

Along the Interstate 10 corridor in the central Gulf Coast states, torrential and repeating downpours are expected to continue through Sunday, with one to four inches of rain forecast and an AccuWeather Local StormMax of nine inches possible in isolated locations. The NWS warns that significant ponding on streets and highways is likely, and localized flash flooding is possible.

A highly localized risk of severe thunderstorms will also develop along the Gulf Coast this weekend, capable of producing brief waterspouts and rain-wrapped tornadoes — the same dangerous phenomenon that made Wednesday night's storms so difficult to detect in time.

If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Move indoors immediately and stay away from windows. For the latest warnings in your area visit weather.gov.

source https://www.mensjournal.com/news/severe-storms-to-batter-u-s-through-mothers-day-weekend-the-risk-is-not-letting-up