Robust thunderstorms to bring nocturnal tornado threat to the Gulf Coast early week
As the second week of January continues, a widespread and impactful storm has taken shape across the center of the nation. Although this powerhouse storm is expected to bring rounds of accumulating snow across the Plains, this setup will contain another facet to the south.
AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the chilly northern flank of the storm will clash with the warmer, moisture-filled southern flank early this week, sparking the risk for severe thunderstorms in the Southeast. Following strong thunderstorms from Houston to Mobile, Alabama on Monday and Monday night, the right ingredients will be present for tornadoes to spin up again on Tuesday, with the highest risk in the Florida panhandle as well as across coastal North and South Carolina.
"A piece of robust energy will bring disruptive thunderstorms that can produce damaging winds, hail and tornadoes to the Gulf Coast states. An inflow of moisture along the Gulf of Mexico from eastern Texas and southern Louisiana will aid in the development of thunderstorms across the region," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Alexander Duffus.
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Robust thunderstorms moved across the Gulf states on Monday and Monday night and according to the Storm Prediction Center, 17 damaging wind reports stretched from eastern Texas to far western Florida as of Tuesday morning. In addition, there were 15 hail reports and one preliminary report of a tornado, located near Coldspring, Texas.
On Tuesday morning, there were multiple reports of possible tornadoes in the Florida Panhandle, including significant damage near Panama City Beach. A wind gust of 106 mph was clocked by a weather state in Blue Mountain Beach, possibly from a tornado.
Storms are expected to ramp up again farther east from Tuesday to Tuesday evening across southeastern Alabama, northern and central Florida through eastern North Carolina and far southeastern Virginia. AccuWeather forecasters say that there is some risk for storms to turn severe across this zone, with the primary risks again being flooding downpours, widespread damaging winds and even tornadoes.
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On Tuesday, the eastward-shifting soaking wet pattern across the Gulf Coast and Southeastern states will increase the flash and river flooding risk. Recent rounds of heavy rain from Friday to Saturday, from Texas to the Southeast coast, can make areas more susceptible to flooding for this upcoming event.
Rainfall totals from the early-week storm are projected to range between 1 and 2 inches along the Gulf Coast states, Appalachians and much of the Eastern Seaboard, with pockets of 2 to 4 inches that can occur, especially where the heaviest thunderstorms set up.
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However, overlap regions in the Northeast that have several inches to a foot of snow on the ground from the weekend storm that is also projected to be impacted by the heavy rain this week can experience intense snowmelt in the coming days, further adding to the flood risk.
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