DEVELOPING STORY: (This post will be updated throughout the night) More than 100 million Americans are facing a dangerous weekend of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. The National Weather Service in St. Louis says today may end up as one of the more prolific severe weather outbreaks in recent memory.
Let’s talk about danger zones. The storm prediction center predicting that Memphis, St. Louis, Des Moines and Springfield, Illinois are facing a moderate risk of severe storms. 4 out of 5 on their threat scale.
The greatest threat is on Saturday – the entire Southeast is at risk. Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama bracing for what the National Weather Service is calling a significant tornado outbreak – the tornadoes are expected to be long-track and violent – Saturday afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service in Birmingham published an unprecedented warning for the entire state:
When we look at severe weather potential, specifically tornadoes, we look for instability (energy), wind shear (turning of the winds at low levels AND differences in speed between the low levels, and the upper levels), LCL heights (how high the base of the cloud will be), hodograph shape, and many other things. Every single parameter is there Saturday afternoon. Every single one. Some of these parameters are strong, some are very strong.
This will be a very scary situation for many. We have a flooding threat, very large hail threat, severe damaging wind threat, and the potential for long track tornadoes. By the way, weaker tornadoes (EF0-EF1) are not considered “strong, long-tracked”.
Please take this seriously and please do what you can. Please be safe. Do the absolute most to keep you, your family, your pets, and those around you safe. Please don’t panic, but be ready. Be prepared.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey already issuing a state of emergency from Huntsville to Mobile. The governor issuing a statement: “The state of Alabama is at risk for potentially dangerous, severe weather throughout this weekend, so it is critical that everyone stays very aware of their local forecasts.”
Tornadoes have caused massive damage across Missouri tonight. There are multiple injuries and multiple buildings destroyed in Webster County. There are also many injured in Rolla. From Villa Ridge comes words of more than a dozen people trapped inside a Burger King. A nearby trailer park reportedly took a direct hit. Watch videos below.