Fresh Severe Weather Threat To Impact The South For First Weekend Of Spring

This Squall Line Swings Through On Easter

The first weekend of astronomical spring is bringing a fresh severe weather threat to the South.

A low pressure system moving out of the Northern Rockies and into the Plains will bring a cold front that could spark severe storms through Monday, and while the threat is not as high as the threat from this past weekend, it only takes one storm to cause significant damage.

(MORE: What the Storm Prediction Center's Thunderstorm Outlook Means)

Thunderstorms are possible from east Texas to western Tennessee through overnight with the threats of damaging winds, large hail and a couple of tornadoes.

Severe thunderstorm and tornado watches that are in effect will show up shaded in yellow and red under the radar on the map below.

What Makes This Threat Different

The threat of severe weather this weekend is significantly different from the system that caused a severe weather outbreak last weekend.

But there are fewer ingredients for severe weather available this weekend than the previous outbreak.

(MORE: Typical Ingredients For An Outbreak)

There is ultimately less instability and wind shear available for the system, partially due to a shallower dip in the jet stream. The low pressure system supporting the cold front is also farther north, and the orientation of the cold front is less favorable for severe storms.

(192-hours: Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)

Sara Tonks is a content meteorologist with weather.com and has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences along with a master’s degree from Unity Environmental University in Marine Science.