A powerful spring storm is forecast to unleash a tornado outbreak in the central part of the country on Wednesday, with multiple, long-track EF3 tornadoes possible, along with a potentially historic flash flood event.
Today 72 million from northern Texas to central Michigan are under severe storm risk in the system that will see heavy rain, flash flooding and strong tornadoes hit the Lower Ohio Valley and Mid-South region of the U.S., the National Weather Service said.
The flash flooding is “only the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic event,” the weather service warned in its morning advisory.
Severe storms will be possible for the next five days in a row — with the greatest risk Wednesday.
Today the storms pose a risk of multiple long track EF-3 tornadoes, wind gusts up to 75 mph or higher, damaging hail two inches or larger in diameter with a high risk area from Paducah, Kentucky, down to Memphis, Tennessee.
Cities that will be impacted in the storms include Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Paducah, St. Louis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Chicago and Cincinnati. Cities at the greatest risk for strong tornadoes include Memphis and Clarksville, Tennessee; Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky; Little Rock and Jonesboro, Arkansas; Evansville and Bloomington, Indiana; and Southhaven, Mississippi.