Widespread, Dangerous Tornado Outbreak Enters Day Three

Day Three of the tornado outbreak will target a large portion of the eastern U.S. today and tonight, with a risk of tornadoes from New York state southward to the Gulf Coast, including a high risk in portions of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

The threat of dangerous thunderstorms will linger along the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday.

The experts at the government's Storm Prediction Center warn that "an outbreak of tornadoes and damaging winds" is likely in the high-risk area through tonight. A significant threat exists in the area outlined as having a moderate risk -- the second highest category -- that extends from eastern Kentucky southward into the Deep South.

(Map shows areas of severe weather risk Wednesday. Image courtesy of NOAA)

Life-threatening flash flooding is also possible. Heavy rain, up to more than 4 inches, may occur, some of which will fall into water basins already flooding due to extreme rainfall this week and very heavy rainfall during the past month. Numerous flood watches, warnings and advisories have been issued by the National Weather Service.

The potential for strong thunderstorms, including isolated tornadoes, extends over a much larger area than just the high- or moderate-risk regions today and tonight. This includes the highly populated mid-Atlantic region and the Carolinas. While this area of the country has been spared the worst of the storms in the current outbreak, North Carolina and southern Virginia were hit with deadly tornadoes earlier in the month.

On Thursday, the potential for dangerous thunderstorms will cover regions along the immediate Eastern Seaboard, including the major cities from New York to Jacksonville, Fla.

The storms today and tomorrow will occur along a very slowly moving cold front, one that marks the boundary between summer-like warmth and humidity to the south and east and much cooler, drier air to the north and west. The storms will be enhanced by strong upper-level disturbances moving along the path of the front.

During the first two days of the outbreak, from late Monday into early today, nearly 100 tornadoes were reported in eight Southern states, and tornado warnings were issued for possible tornadoes as far north as upstate New York on Tuesday evening.

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The latest tornado outbreak has been a continuation of what has been an extremely active month in terms of severe weather reports, which includes tornadoes, damaging wind and large hail. As of Tuesday afternoon, there had been more than 6,500 reports of severe weather, including 654 tornadoes, in April.

This will be the most active April for tornadoes since the Storm Prediction Center started keeping more detailed records in 2000. Although the current tornado numbers are preliminary and subject to change, the final numbers confirmed will be much higher than the previous April high of 270 in 2008.