Massive Storm System Unleashing Early New Year Tornadoes Across the South

Severe storms have brought tornadoes and hail to parts of the southern United States and more bad weather is on the way.

A massive, powerful storm system is approaching the central United States and AccuWeather analysts predict potentially damaging weather for much of the region in the early new year.

The source of the storms is moving in from the west and on Jan. 2 snow continued to accumulate in the central and Southern Rockies, with rain at lower elevations.

This storm will gradually proceed eastward, intensifying along the way, allowing the formation of severe thunderstorms that will last until later in the week. Meanwhile, a continuous south wind will deliver moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, which is essential for thunderstorm formation.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and lead long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok told The Epoch Times that the storm is “serious” because the water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico “are running way above what they should be for this time of the year.”

Pastelok said the system is “very strong” with a “lot of energy coming into the west coast … [and] making it all the way to southern plains.

“So areas of east Texas and Louisiana and Arkansas—getting up [into] southeast Missouri … should be on alert that there could be some twisting in the upper lows of the atmosphere that forms these tornadoes that touch down,” Pastelok said.

AccuWeather reported that Jan. 2’s temperature highs in Houston and New Orleans are expected to be in the upper 70s, with some warmer locations along the coast reaching the low 80s.

The weather service said the temperatures are exceptional for the time of year, with daily highs in both cities reaching 81 degrees.

Locations like Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, are seeing temperatures in the low 70s, but falling just short of daily record highs.

“A dip in the jetstream will bring the strongest upper-level winds into the southern United States. When combined with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and substantially above-average temperatures, the setup will be in place for severe thunderstorms to form,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said.

On Jan. 3, severe weather was expected to move further east as a line of heavy thunderstorms moved east of the Mississippi River along the Interstate 10 and 20 corridors but the main hazards will be heavy rain and damaging gusts, as well as a few tornadoes. Tornadoes that are strong and linger for a long time are less likely than the day before, but cannot be ruled out.

The most likely corridor for severe weather will run from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to around Birmingham, Alabama, but, areas from Louisiana to Florida on the Gulf Coast will be threatened as well. Isolated strong storms will also be possible further north as far as Nashville.

“If these thunderstorms can move east quickly enough, Atlanta could be threatened with damaging wind gusts overnight. This will be most likely just to the west of the city,” DaSilva said.

Some storms are predicted to produce devastating straight-line winds in addition to common dangers such as lightning and heavy rain.

Because of the chilly air above the surface and the time of year, hail could also be a problem for those in the line of the storms.

“The extent of the tornado threat will depend on whether storms can remain separated, which would allow for a few intense, large tornadoes to form. If this does not occur, and storms form into a line, damaging winds would become the primary hazard,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Haley Taylor explained.

When asked about the likelihood that those in the path of the storm will need to take shelter due to tornadoes or strong wind Pastelok told The Epoch Times, “It can happen. We’ve seen it before, and it’s a risk, but at this point of the day and the timing of the system, it’s hard to say exactly where that’s gonna be, but people should have a plan.

“Right now for today, what happens if I’m at work, where do I go, where am I supposed to go? Can I get out early and work from home today, just in case?”

This phase of erratic weather should pass quickly. Nearly the whole southeast is expected to experience dry weather again by the middle to end of the week.