For the third-consecutive weekend, the Central U.S. will face a multiday severe weather threat starting late Saturday night. A more notable severe weather threat will then take shape Sunday afternoon across the mid-South, Lower Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, and Tennessee Valley. At this time, the setup does not look to be anywhere near as volatile as the tornado outbreak two weeks ago.
For the third-consecutive weekend, the Central U.S. will face a multiday severe weather threat starting Saturday night.
More than 133 million are at risk of large hail, damaging winds and potentially a few tornadoes.
By Saturday evening, scattered severe thunderstorms will form in northern Oklahoma into the Lower Missouri Valley.
The much larger and more significant threat will take shape on Sunday afternoon, spanning thousands of miles across the mid-South, Lower Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee valleys.
(FOX Weather)
The main threats on Saturday appear to be hail in Texas and straight-line wind damage for Oklahoma and Kansas.
“I’m more concerned with the hail, than tornadoes, not saying they can’t happen,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin.
The greatest area of concern spans a large area from Texas to Ohio, which has been placed under a Level 3 out of 5 risk for severe weather on the Storm Prediction Center’s thunderstorm risk scale.
Storms are expected to ramp up Sunday afternoon into the evening hours. However, they are not expected to be as volatile as the deadly tornado outbreak two weeks ago.
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Destroyed homes in Poplar Bluff, MO. (FOX Weather)
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Tornado damage in Paragould, Arkansas after the March 2025 tornado. (Jim’s Drone Adventures )
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Tornado damage in Paragould, Arkansas after the March 2025 tornado. (Jim’s Drone Adventures )
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A school bus on the Old Winterboro High School building in Alabama after an EF-2 tornado on March 15, 2025. (Henry’s Weather Channel)
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Storm debris hangs in trees left standing on Purina Farms after a tornado caused significant damage. (Purina Farms/Facebook)
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Damage sustained to a Purina Farms building after a tornado hit on March 14. (Purina Farms/Facebook)
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This image shows some of the damage after a tornado in Tylertown, Mississippi. ( )
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CALERA, ALABAMA – MARCH 16: Tim Striegel, in red shirt (center) goes though his damaged belongings while volunteers help him clean up the morning after his mobile home was hit by a tornado on March 16, 2025 in Calera, Alabama. According to reports, two people have been killed and over 50 counties in Alabama have reported damage, and more than 30 people have been killed across the south due to massive storms. (Photo by Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images) ( )
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CALERA, ALABAMA – MARCH 16: Tim Striegel, in red shirt (center) goes though his damaged belongings while volunteers help him clean up sthe morning after his mobile home was hit by a tornado on March 16, 2025 in Calera, Alabama. According to reports, two people have been killed and over 50 counties in Alabama have reported damage, and more than 30 people have been killed across the south due to massive storms. (Photo by Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images) ( )
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Tornado damage in Cave City, Arkansas on March 15, 2025. (Kristen Lashley / X)
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Damage to the Burger King in Villa Ridge, Missouri, which was hit by an EF-2 tornado. (Broadway Restaurant Group)
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Damage to the inside of the Burger King in Villa Ridge, Missouri, which was hit by an EF-2 tornado. (Broadway Restaurant Group)
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This photo shows significant damage in Calera, Alabama. (Brandy Campbell)
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Damage is seen in Elliot, Mississippi, on March 15, 2025, after a tornado hit. (Robert Ray)
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Drone video captures the absolute devastation from a tornado in Tylertown, MS. ( Petramala/WxChasing)
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A car lays on its side after being blown over by a tornado in Elliot, Mississippi, on March 15, 2025. (Robert Ray)
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Three fatalities, 32 injured in Independence County, AR (@AR_Emergencies)
“The daytime heating aspect of this is huge,” said Merwin, referring to what she called a key determining factor in the strength of Sunday’s storms.
The storm system will head to the mid-Atlantic and Southeast Atlantic coastline by Monday.
The same system bringing this severe weather will also bring winter weather and icing to the Upper Midwest and interior Northeast.
Severe storms bring flash flood threat
The areas under the threat of severe weather Sunday will also be faced with a risk of flash flooding.
A Level 1 out of 4 flash flood risk has been outlined for Sunday, covering an area stretching from Jackson, Mississippi, to Ohio. As much as 2 inches of rain is expected.
(FOX Weather)