Severe Storms Take Aim at Central U.S. Starting Wednesday

Posted: March 1, 2023 10:03 am

March is going to live up to its reputation of coming in like a lion. The third month of the year is going to get off to an explosive start with another multi-day severe weather event across a large portion of the Midwest and the south-central Plains. Here is what you need to prepare for in the coming days.

Stormy Weather Pattern to Continue for Central U.S.

It has been a rocky weather week for much of the central U.S. A series of thunderstorms spawned a number of tornadoes across the Midwest and into the Ohio Valley to start the week. While Tuesday was relatively quiet, the severe weather is forecast to fire up again on Wednesday and through the rest of the week. Forecasters are warning that this next round of storms may be just as powerful and destructive as what tore through the region on Sunday and Monday.

Once again, an area stretching from Texas through Ohio will be in the line of fire for severe weather. However, the end of week active weather pattern may expand as far east as the mid-Atlantic coast and as far south as the Carolinas.

The severe weather will be centered on the southern fringe of a massive weather maker that is predicted to bring heavy snow to the northern U.S. The cold air associated with this storm system will clash with warm and moisture-rich air to the south to create the necessary ingredients for severe thunderstorm development.

As the warm air moves northward from the Gulf of Mexico, the cold air from the north will move down to meet it. This partnership will trigger the dynamic weather conditions starting on Wednesday and lasting through at least Friday.

A line of storms is forecast to form in northeastern Texas before moving as far as central Tennessee. The storm cells will bring a number of potentially dangerous risks, including hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes.

This particular storm system is predicted to be a slow mover, allowing the cells to form over and over for two days in a row. Cities that can expect to see the chance of severe weather on both Wednesday and Thursday include Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, and Shreveport.

Thursday and Friday Forecast

Thursday’s weather impacts are expected to be more widespread, encompassing a greater swath of land than the Wednesday event. The storms will first form near the Interstate 35 corridor in Texas. The storms will move to the east throughout the day and into the evening hours, ushering in the threat of destructive weather for the Lone Star State as well as Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

By the end of the day, the storms may reach the cities of New Orleans and Lexington. The western portions of Alabama and Tennessee will also be in this potential impact zone.

Looking ahead to Friday, the storm system will likely move to the northeast and settle in the Ohio Valley. Cities that will see the greatest risk of storms on Friday include St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Nashville. A general 1 – 3 inches of rain may fall across a large area. The stormy conditions will spread as far east as the central Appalachians.

With so many weather impacts associated with this event, significant travel delays are a good possibility. Heavy rain will create poor visibility on roadways.

It has already been an exceptionally wet winter for much of this part of the country. The added rainfall could trigger flash flooding and bring down trees that are more vulnerable because of the saturated soil.

The early March weather event will be just the start of things to come this spring. March is typically the time of the year when severe weather season gets started in earnest. However, many areas have already experienced unseasonably stormy weather this year. Climatologists are blaming warmer than average temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico for the early onset of severe weather season.

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