A strong storm system will be in the central United States on Friday. Ahead of the system, a gusty south wind will bring warm temperatures and increasing moisture, and the potential of strong to severe thunderstorms.
The greatest severe weather potential is where the most lift (surrounding a storm system to the north) overlaps the most unstable air (from the southwest). This includes northern Arkansas. Where severe storms develop, the main concerns will be damaging winds and hail, and there may be isolated tornadoes.
Quarter to three quarter inch precipitation totals are in the forecast, with up to an inch in the north. This will not be enough to make existing high water issues (i.e. elevated rivers/saturated soil) worse.
Over 75 million people in central US at risk of severe weather outbreak - Accuweather
At least 15 states will be at risk of an outbreak of violent thunderstorms that will unleash everything from damaging winds to tornadoes on Friday, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. The area highlighted by forecasters is a massive swath of the country that extends from Texas to Alabama in the South to areas farther north such as Wisconsin and Michigan.
The AccuWeather forecast team raised Friday’s risk of severe weather from moderate to a high level prior to the middle of the week, a sign of growing concern for the potential damage the storms could cause.