An outbreak of severe weather, including the potential for "strong to potentially violent tornadoes" from "long-track" storms, is expected across the central United States and the Mississippi Valley on Friday. An expansive area of concern has been plastered across outlook maps issued by the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center, which includes two Level 5 out of 5 “high risk” areas for extremely dangerous storms.
These two most threatened zones cover southeast Iowa, including Iowa City, northeast Missouri and west central Illinois, as well as east central Arkansas, northern Mississippi and southwest Tennessee, together with Memphis. Such high-risk zones are rare and reserved for the most severe weather situations. It’s been more than two years since the last high-risk issuance.
Thunderstorms will develop explosively during the afternoon and evening hours in multiple zones, with the Corn Belt first. The Storm Prediction Center issued a rare “particularly dangerous situation” tornado watch for central and eastern Iowa, western Illinois, northern and central Missouri and southwest Wisconsin until 8 p.m. Central time. “Parameters are favorable for the potential for strong/violent tornadoes and very large hail,” the center wrote.
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