Extreme meteorologist Dr. Reed Timmer reported from the scene in Louisiana as the risk for tornadoes and flash floods increased from Louisiana to Alabama.
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00:00 A tornado watch has been issued by the Storm Prediction Center, including moderate probabilities
00:05 for a tornado potential stretching from southeastern Louisiana all the way through southern Mississippi
00:10 into southern Alabama.
00:11 And we've definitely had several attempts at supercells maturing near the Lake Pontchartrain
00:15 area so far today.
00:16 And we've had a couple of severe thunderstorm warnings as well off to the west and to the
00:20 south of Baton Rouge along the I-10 corridor.
00:22 As those storms move off to the east into the stronger low-level wind shear, they definitely
00:26 will have the potential of producing tornadoes, but it is a conditional threat.
00:30 As you can see, a lot of cloud cover here across the area that weakens the instability
00:35 a little bit.
00:36 You really need the breaks in the clouds to get that surface heating to guarantee intense
00:40 surface-based supercell storms.
00:42 So far today, that's been a limiting factor for the severe weather threat.
00:46 But as the wave and surface load deepens and ejects, we think that the conditions are going
00:51 to become more favorable for tornado potential through this evening and off to the east as
00:55 it moves from southeastern Louisiana through southern Mississippi, eventually into southern
00:59 Alabama.
01:00 And right now, I'm tracking intensifying storms just off to the west that are starting to
01:04 move into the stronger wind shear, and those could have some greater tornado potential
01:08 as well.
01:09 Even if the tornado potential is not realized, the threat of flash flooding is also a major
01:14 concern.
01:15 It could even be four to eight inches of rainfall, especially where those storms are training
01:19 over the same areas.
01:21 There's already numerous flash flood warnings off to the north across Jackson, extending
01:25 east into west central Alabama.
01:27 So certainly make sure that you stay tuned to those severe weather watches and warnings
01:31 in and around the tornado watch area.
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