Severe storms, tornadoes possible this weekend

On December 27, 2024By Littum

The greatest threat area on Saturday is along Interstate 20 from Louisiana to Alabama.
The threat area will shift east on Sunday and include parts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
Travel impacts on the roads and airport are likely to be both Saturday and Sunday.

A multi-day severe weather event will threaten several states in the South this weekend during the busy holiday travel season. Strong tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, large hail and heavy rainfall are concerns both Saturday and Sunday.

This comes right on the heels of several tornadoes that hit Texas and Louisiana on Thursday; a reminder that tornadoes can strike in any season.

Here’s what you need to know if the stormy weather affects your travel plans or holiday celebrations.

Saturday’s weather forecast

The threat of severe storms will extend from eastern Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley and into parts of the Tennessee Valley.

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has highlighted an enhanced area (level 3 out of 5) of severe weather extending across parts of eastern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. This area includes places like Monroe, Louisiana and Jackson and Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

The SPC warns that this corridor could see strong tornadoes (EF2 or higher intensity) if the right mix of atmospheric ingredients come together.

(For even more detailed tracking of weather data in your area, view your 15-minute detailed forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)

Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico will help fuel these storms ahead of an approaching cold front. We could see a few emerging storms across the threatened areas early in the day, ahead of the main line of storms.

The threat of severe storms will then intensify during the afternoon and evening hours.

Heavy rainfall, large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes will also be possible from east Texas to Georgia and extending north into Tennessee.

Other cities included in the storm risk areas include: Houston, Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

We could see airport delays Saturday in and around Houston, Shreveport, New Orleans, Jackson, Little Rock and New Orleans. And road driving can be dangerous at times along interstates, 10, 20, 49, 55, 59.

If you are traveling by car, be aware that some of the intense rainfall can lead to flooding.

Sunday’s weather forecast

Severe storms will continue to march east Sunday into most of the Southeast and extend north into parts of the upper Ohio Valley and central Appalachians.

We could see storms already moving during the early morning hours across parts of the Georgia and Florida Panhandle, then continuing eastward through the day.

The area with the greatest chance of severe weather stretches from eastern Georgia to the Carolinas and southern Virginia. Augusta, Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina and Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina are some of the cities in this threat area.

We could see airport delays on Sunday in places like Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh. And travel can be dangerous at times along Interstates 10, 20, 75 and 85.

Be sure to check back often as adjustments are made to the forecast.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has covered some of the world’s biggest weather and climate stories for the past two decades.