Tornado Central

Tornado Outbreak 'Likely' In The South Through Saturday Night, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center Says

At a Glance

Numerous severe thunderstorms are expected across the South this weekend.
This includes the threat of dozens of tornadoes, some of which could be EF2 or stronger, especially Saturday.
The threat is greatest in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

A tornado outbreak is likely in parts of the South this weekend, during the busy holiday travel season. Strong tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, large hail and heavy rainfall are concerns, especially Saturday and Saturday night.

This comes right on the heels of multiple tornadoes that struck Texas and Louisiana on Thursday; a reminder that tornadoes can strike during any season.

Happening Now

The map below shows where thunderstorms are right now, and also where severe weather watches and warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service.

(MET 101: What Makes A Storm 'Severe')

Saturday’s Forecast

In their daily severe weather outlook, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a level 4 out of 5 for severe weather that stretches across portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and western Alabama. This area includes places like Monroe, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi.

This is the first time the SPC has issued such a dire level 4 severe risk in their outlook since July 15, and only the 12th time it has issued a level 4 or greater risk this year.

The SPC warns this corridor could see strong, long-track tornadoes (EF3 or higher intensity) if the right mix of atmospheric ingredients come together.

This region could see two rounds of severe thunderstorms Saturday. First, supercell thunderstorms with tornadoes, hail and high winds are possible. Those could be followed by a squall line of severe thunderstorms with damaging straight-line winds and embedded tornadoes into Saturday night from west to east across the area shown below.

The main time of concern is Saturday afternoon into Saturday night.

(SAFETY TIPS: Prepare Like A Met | Not All Tornado Warnings Aren't The Same)

Another threat through Saturday night is locally flooding rainfall from eastern Texas to the Tennessee Valley.

(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)

Sunday’s Forecast

Severe storms will continue to march eastward on Sunday into much of the Southeast and extending northward into portions of the upper Ohio Valley and Appalachians.

We could see storms already in motion during the early morning hours across portions of eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, the western Carolinas, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, then continue eastward through the day.

The area with greatest chance of severe weather extends from Georgia into the Carolinas and southern Virginia. This includes Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh and Roanoke.

Straight-line damaging thunderstorm winds are the main concern, though some tornadoes, both embedded in a line of severe storms and in any individual severe thunderstorms that can form ahead of that squall line.

(MORE: Tornado Outbreaks Can Happen In Winter, As Recent History Shows)

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.