More than 13 million people could face the most severe weather, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
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Heavy rain, severe thunderstorms and even the possibility of tornadoes could hit Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and surrounding states during the afternoon and evening hours of October 18, forecasters said.
An “increasingly active weather pattern” is expected to bring stormy weather from the mid-lower Mississippi Valley on Oct. 18 and across the Midwest and Great Lakes region by Oct. 19, according to the National Weather Service.
The most severe weather is expected later in the day in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois with populations of more than 13 million, the Storm Prediction Center said. The main potential hazards are wind damage, large hail, and tornadoes.
Major cities most at risk include Memphis, Tennessee. Shreveport, Louisiana. Little Rock, Arkansas. Jackson, Mississippi. and Springfield, Missouri.
The weather service said the thunderstorms could also bring excessive rain to northern Arkansas, southern Missouri and southern Illinois, posing a risk of flash flooding.
Storm moves north and east into the Great Lakes and Appalachians
Forecasters say heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to reach the northern Great Lakes region late Wednesday night and into the evening.
Parts of the Ohio Valley through the Appalachian Mountains and Mid-Atlantic region are expected to experience thunderstorms and strong winds on October 19th. States stretching from Kentucky to Ohio to Michigan, and from West Virginia to Pennsylvania to western New York, could all be affected, AccuWeather meteorologists said.
