Weather Authority Alert through Saturday for major flooding threat & more severe storms | News

We continue with a Weather Authority Alert through Saturday for an increasingly significant threat for major flash flooding, and another elevated threat for severe storms Friday PM.

We’ll have another threat for severe storms Friday afternoon into tonight. The Storm Prediction Center has expanded the level 3 enhanced risk farther NE into parts of S. IL and areas of KY near the Ohio River. A level 4 moderate risk extends from near Poplar Bluff back into Arkansas.

Severe storms may once again produce tornadoes, damaging wind, and large hail.

New timing suggests a couple of things to watch. As a warm front lifts north across the area this afternoon, much warmer and humid air will move in, and increase instability. Models suggest a few isolated supercells could develop along the leading edge of that instability (within the blue dashed area) between 1-7PM. These would present a tornado and hail threat IF they develop. We then expect more organized storms to develop over SEMO by 6-7PM, where we expect the highest threat for tornadoes. These storms may take the form of a broken line that would eventually merge into a continuous line by 8-9PM. As the line merges, it will present an increasing damaging wind threat as the line moves east.

We are also becoming increasingly concerned about the potential for significant, possibly catastrophic flooding across parts of the area from late Friday night into Saturday. A rare level 4 high risk of flash flooding exists over a large portion of our area. 

Portions of Western Kentucky have already received anywhere from 4″ to near 10″ of rainfall through 10AM Friday. Radar estimates of 3-5″ or more have fallen over portions of NW TN &

SEMO.