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A multiday severe weather outbreak is expected to spawn additional tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail across parts of the South through Thursday on the warm side of a coast-to-coast storm tracking across the U.S.
The storms turned deadly Tuesday night in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, where a mother and her young son were killed after a possible tornado destroyed their home. Another possible tornado was blamed for the injuries of 20 to 25 people near the town of Farmerville in Union Parish, Louisiana.
MOTHER, YOUNG SON FOUND DEAD; DOZENS INJURED AFTER POSSIBLE TORNADOES SWEEP THROUGH LOUISIANA
At least 14 tornadoes have been reported since Tuesday from Oklahoma and Texas eastward to Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service.
Where are the severe storms now?
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a Tornado Watch for portions of southern Louisiana, central and southern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama until 1 p.m. CST. The watch area includes Baton Rouge and Lafayette in Louisiana and Hattiesburg and Meridian in Mississippi.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TORNADO WATCH, TORNADO WARNING AND TORNADO EMERGENCY?
(FOX Wether)
A line of severe thunderstorms continues to sweep across the Deep South, prompting dozens of Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.
These storms will pose threats of a few tornadoes and scattered damaging wind gusts as they push east throughout the day Thursday.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER
(FOX Wether)
Path of destruction
More than a million people were covered by a Tornado Warning that included the city of Fort Worth, Texas, at about 8:15 a.m. CST. Doppler radar had detected a tornado with debris being lofted just north of Fort Worth. A “Shelter in Place” was activated at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to the nearby Tornado Warning. The warning was allowed to expire at 8:45 a.m. CST, prompting DFW Airport to clear the Shelter in Place.
This suspected tornado caused roof damage and flipped vehicles in the North Richland Hills and Grapevine areas in Tarrant County, Texas, according to reports from North Richland Hills Fire-Rescue and the Grapevine Police Department. Police confirmed that five people were injured in Grapevine, and all victims were taken to a local hospital.
The NWS issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Tornado Warning for a radar-confirmed tornado near Decatur, Texas, about 7:20 a.m. CST. Extensive damage to homes was reported on the south side of Decatur. The NWS later confirmed an EF-2 tornado with 125-mph winds swept through Wise County, where Decatur is located.
TORNADOES CARVE PATH OF DESTRUCTION ACROSS PARTS OF OKLAHOMA, TEXAS
Another tornado-warned storm that struck Wayne, Oklahoma, about 5:30 a.m. CST caused significant damage to several homes and barns and left the town without power, but according to emergency management officials, no injuries were reported. Schools were closed Tuesday in Wayne because of “no electricity and the high probability of storm damage,” the school district said in a Facebook post.
An NWS storm survey later confirmed the damage in the town of Wayne was caused by an EF-2 tornado, marking the strongest December tornado to strike Oklahoma since another EF-2 twister on Dec. 12, 2015.
More tornadoes were spawned in Louisiana, destroying homes within their path.
A storm chaser said that he watched as a tornado in Four Forks, Louisiana, destroyed mobile homes.
This severe weather threat is associated with the same coast-to-coast storm that has spawned a northern Plains blizzard and could even become a snowstorm in the Northeast toward the end of the workweek.
END OF TRIPLE-DIP LA NIÑA IN SIGHT: WHAT IT COULD MEAN FOR SPRING SEVERE WEATHER SEASON
Wednesday-Wednesday night
The threat of severe storms will continue Wednesday from southern Louisiana into central and southern Mississippi, central and southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia. Cities at risk of severe weather include Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Louisiana, Biloxi and Hattiesburg in Mississippi, Mobile and Montgomery in Alabama, Pensacola and Tallahassee in Florida and Albany and Columbus in Georgia.
Once again, tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail are all possible with Wednesday’s storms.
A few EF-2 or stronger tornadoes could occur in the area shaded in the darkest red on the map below, which stretches from southeastern Louisiana into southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.
HOW YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR A TORNADO
(FOX Weather)
Severe storms could also produce tremendous amounts of rain across parts of the South on Wednesday.
Flooding appears very likely across a narrow swath from south-central Louisiana northeastward into west-central Alabama.
(FOX Weather)
A widespread area of between 1 and 3 inches of rain is possible across the South, but total rainfall could reach up to 4 inches in the “very likely” area. There could be some isolated spots where rainfall could reach the 8-inch mark.
A Flood Watch has been issued from southern Louisiana through the heart of Mississippi into northern Alabama, southern Tennessee and far northwestern Georgia.
(FOX Weather)
Remember, it is never safe to drive through floodwaters. Find an alternate route or wait for the water to recede if you encounter a flood.
Thursday-Thursday night
The storm system will slide into the Southeast on Thursday, spawning one final day of severe thunderstorms from southern South Carolina to parts of South Georgia and Florida.
A couple of tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail will all be a concern for cities such as Charleston in South Carolina, Savannah in Georgia and Jacksonville, Orlando, Tallahassee and Tampa in Florida.
THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU ARE DRIVING AND THERE IS A TORNADO ON THE GROUND
Be sure to check back with FOX Weather for updates on both the severe side and the wintry side of this coast-to-coast storm in the week ahead.
(FOX Weather)
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