Meteorologists warn people in Midwest, southern us to prepare for storms
Meteorologists are warning people in parts of the Midwest and southern U.S. to be prepared for dangerous weather, including tornadoes, because the conditions are similar to those a week ago, which killed 21 people in Mississippi.
An outbreak of severe thunderstorms has the potential to cause hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes that could be strong and move on the ground over long distances, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
Memphis, Tennessee, Jonesboro, Arkansas, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa are the major population centers at the greatest risk for storms starting Friday afternoon. But people in eastern Iowa, western and northern Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas should be prepared, according to Northern Illinois meteorology professor and tornado expert Victor Gensini.
He said there will be lots of thunderstorms, tornadoes, and large hail.
People in those areas should stock emergency supplies, be prepared for power outages, avoid getting stranded in places vulnerable to falling trees or severe hail, and park vehicles in garages if possible, meteorologists said.
A vicious tornado in Mississippi killed 21 people, injured dozens and flattened entire blocks as it carved a path of destruction for more than an hour. According to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, about 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
The toll was particularly high in western Mississippi's Sharkey County, where 13 people were killed in a county of 3,700 residents. Winds of up to 200 mph 322 kph barreled through the rural farming town of Rolling Fork, reducing homes to piles of rubble, flipping cars and toppling the town's water tower.
President Joe Biden and the first lady Jill Biden are scheduled to visit Rolling Fork on Friday.
Gensini said Friday s atmospheric setup is similar to the conditions that were present during Mississippi's deadly storm.
The hazardous forecast is a result of strong southerly winds transporting copious amounts of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico north, where they will interact with the strengthening storm system.
The weather service is forecasting a lot of intense storms next Tuesday in the same general area as last week. At least the first 10 days of April will be rough, according to Brandon Buckingham, Accuweather meteorologist.
Bill Bunting, the Storm Prediction Center spokesman for forecasting operations, said people need to have a severe weather plan in place that includes multiple ways to receive storm warning information.
We have seen the coverage of the heartbreaking situations in other parts of the country. Bunting said that our fervent hope is that people pay attention to the forecasts that have been out for several days regarding Friday's threat.