Strong Storms Move into Deep South, Tennessee Valley

By Matt Alto, Meteorologist

Apr 4, 2012; 5:58 PM ET

The slow-moving storm system which brought severe weather from western Texas and Oklahoma into the lower Mississippi Valley the past two days will gain some forward momentum today as it slides eastward through the southern Plains.
Once again, warm and moist air surging northward out of the Gulf of Mexico ahead of the system will help fuel the storms.
For the third consecutive day, this system will bring more strong and damaging storms to sections of the South today and tonight.

Similar to both Monday and Tuesday, the primary threats with these storms will be damaging winds and large hail. While the overall threat for tornadoes is low, a few isolated twisters are not out of the realm of possibilities.
Hail the size of golf balls can be expected. Hail of this magnitude can cause some minor damage to automobiles.
The strongest storms will be capable of producing straight-line wind gusts over 70 mph which is more than enough to cause damage to trees and power lines.
Many of these storms will be capable of producing a large amount of rain in a short period of time, leading to flash and urban flooding. Locations where thunderstorms are persistent will be especially prone to flooding.
The area at risk today extends from the lower Mississippi Valley through the Tennessee and lower Ohio valleys.
Cities that will be impacted by these storms today include Baton Rouge and New Orleans, La., Jackson, Miss., and Nashville, Tenn.
This afternoon and evening, the threat will be in Mississippi and portions of eastern Tennessee as a line of intense storms slowly maneuvers to the east.

The threat for severe weather is expected to continue on Thursday and Friday as the storms continue their slow trek to the Southeast coast.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely to interrupt the first and second rounds at the Masters in Augusta, Ga.
Keep checking back with AccuWeather.com throughout the coming days as the severe weather unfolds.

Strong Storms Move into Deep South, Tennessee Valley