The National Weather Service has issued a warning about severe storms expected to hit a large portion of the Midwest and the South on Friday. These storms are forecasted to bring winds reaching up to 90 mph and hail as large as baseballs.
Areas including St. Louis, Springfield (Illinois), southeast Iowa, and western Tennessee and Kentucky are at a “moderate risk” of experiencing damaging storms. Additionally, regions from Louisiana to Ohio and Wisconsin also face some risk of severe weather, according to the agency.
The severe storms are anticipated to impact the lower and mid-Missouri Valley, the Mississippi Valley, and the lower Ohio Valley from late Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. The weather service warns of the potential for tornadoes, strong damaging winds with gusts between 70 to 90 mph, and scattered large hail up to the size of baseballs during this time.
On Saturday, Louisiana, including New Orleans, will have an increased risk of severe storms, with the possibility of tornadoes, as per forecasters. Meteorologist Kevin Gilmore from the National Weather Service’s office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge highlighted the expected severe weather outbreak on Saturday.
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas announced that additional state resources would be directed towards responding to the critical risk of wildfires in the state and other parts of the Great Plains. The extreme wildfire danger is expected to persist through the weekend due to dry conditions, wind gusts, and low humidity.
The National Weather Service also mentioned the likelihood of “potentially historic fire-weather conditions” on Friday across the southern Great Plains, with areas like Lubbock and Wichita Falls in Texas, and Oklahoma City facing an extreme risk.
In the West, a winter storm has been bringing heavy snowfall to the Sierra Nevada in California. Tahoe City recorded 17½ inches of snow by Thursday morning, with more snow expected due to another storm arriving on Friday.
Additionally, a tornado struck Pico Rivera in the Los Angeles area on Thursday morning. The high-end EF-0 tornado with maximum winds of 85 mph caused damage to trees, roofs, and vehicles in its path.
