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UPDATED By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Andrew Rosenthal
A very soggy week of weather across the Deep South is coming to an end, but not without a stormy culmination. Heavy rain and flooding continue to plague the Mid-South, while a few severe thunderstorms have been pummeling the Deep South.
The stormy weather this weekend is the result of low pressure tracking across the central U.S., pouring Gulf of Mexico moisture north into the Tennessee Valley, where it is interacting with a cold front bringing cooler and drier air.
By the end of the weekend, many spots from northern Mississippi to southwestern Virginia and southern Kentucky will be drenched with 3 to 4 inches of rain. Many of these locations have already received 3 to 5 inches of rain, with portions of Mississippi receiving more than a foot of rain since the beginning of the week.
Flood and Flash Flood Watches and Warnings stretch from northeastern Louisiana and eastern Arkansas across the Tennessee and lower Ohio valleys to the western Carolinas and western Virginia. This includes Greenville, Miss., Huntsville and Birmingham, Ala., Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., Louisville, Ky., Asheville, N.C., Charleston, W. Va., and Roanoke, Va.
In addition to heavy rain, the system will produce strong thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, tornadoes and large hail in the Deep South today. Earlier this evening, possible tornadoes tore across Columbus, Miss., as well as Kingville, Ala. Tree damage was reported from southwestern Mississippi to northwestern Alabama.
Although the severe threat is diminishing as daytime heating wanes, a few severe storms are still possible across northern and central Alabama, including Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Storms will be capable of producing hail to the size of quarters, wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph and possibly tornadoes.
Tornado Watches extend from Mississippi to central Tennessee and central and much of northern Alabama, including Tupelo and Columbus, Miss., Nashville, Tenn., and Huntsville, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa, Ala.
As the system tracks east across the Great Lakes tonight into Sunday, it will produce a quick 1 to 2 inches of rain in the Mid-Atlantic and coastal Northeast. The ground is already saturated due to recent rainfall and melted snow, so isolated flooding is possible.
If you have any outdoor plans this weekend be sure to pay attention to the local weather forecasts and keep a close watch on the sky. Remember, lightning is one of the most lethal parts of a storm system and can strike even when the storm is off in the distance. “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors.”