More than 20 states in the path of severe weather starting Wednesday.
Severe weather outbreak begins Friday with tornadoes, hail and damaging winds possible.
Severe weather threat extends to the East Coast by Sunday.
The FOX Forecast Center is continuing to monitor the potential for a multiday severe weather outbreak that could blast cities across the central and eastern U.S. with thunderstorms capable of producing large hail, damaging winds and even some tornadoes.
Forecasters have been keeping their eyes on computer forecast models and now say the threat of severe weather will continue through the weekend, placing tens of millions of people living along the East Coast on alert for powerful thunderstorms by Sunday.
The FOX Forecast Center said it is most concerned about what could potentially take place starting Friday, but severe weather is also possible on Wednesday and Thursday.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has highlighted portions of the Plains, Deep South and lower Mississippi Valley, where strong to severe thunderstorms could cause some disruptions.
More than 3 million people in southeastern Oklahoma, northeastern Texas and western Arkansas have been placed in a level 2 out of 5 risk on the SPC’s severe thunderstorm risk scale on Wednesday.
Forecasters said there’s still some uncertainty regarding storm coverage, but they warn that storms could produce large hail and damaging wind gusts.
The severe weather threat then shifts to portions of eastern Mississippi and Alabama, including cities like Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, on Thursday.
The FOX Forecast Center said the potential multiday severe weather outbreak could kick off on Friday, with much of the activity picking up during the afternoon and continuing into the overnight hours as the storm system intensifies across the central U.S.
Forecasters said a rapidly strengthening low-pressure system will track across the central Plains, dragging a strong cold front along with it.
Ahead of that, moisture from the Gulf will be pulled northward into the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley and maybe even as far north as Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.
The FOX Forecast Center said that from the Ark-La-Tex region into the lower Mississippi Valley, more moisture will combine with wind shear – the change in wind speed and direction with height – creating a favorable setup for all severe weather threats.