Round 2 of severe storms: Nearly 18 million people at risk across the Deep South

The same line of thunderstorms that brought severe weather to the southern Plains late Monday night into Tuesday morning is pushing east. As a result, expect the severe weather to affect parts of the Deep South this Tuesday going into Wednesday morning. During this period there are about 18 million people at risk of experiencing severe weather.

We have the same setup in place, plenty of moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico but ahead of it plenty of warmth that continues to make the atmosphere very unstable. Some severe thunderstorms have already sparked across Louisiana through northern Mississippi on Tuesday morning.

The highest chance for tornadic storms will be in place across eastern Louisiana through much of Mississippi during the afternoon hours, where there is a moderate risk (4 out of 5 on the severity scale) of severe storms. There could be several tornadoes, some of which could be strong. Very large hail and widespread damaging winds are also possible across the indicated region.

By the evening, the thunderstorms should be moving onto Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Much of Alabama continues to be under the risk of tornadic storms through the evening. Make sure to have at least three ways of receiving weather alerts. Remember, tornadoes at nighttime are twice as deadly as their counterparts that happened during the day.

There is also the risk for flooding across northern Louisiana, much of Mississippi, and northwestern Alabama. Rainfall totals through Wednesday morning. Some areas could receive over 5 inches of rain, producing flooding, especially over those flood-prone areas. Please remember to never cross flooded roads, even if these are roads you frequently travel on. Water levels could be higher than expected.

Severe storms are expected to move over the Southeast from Wednesday through Thursday morning. Over 20 million people are at risk of experiencing severe storms. The threat for severe storms is at a level 2 on the 1 through 5 severity scale. This means that there could be some scattered severe storms, mostly short-lived but there could be some intense that could produce damaging winds, small hail, and a tornado or two.