Fast Facts
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Multiple Tornado Warnings are wailing across the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys once again Tuesday afternoon as rounds of severe thunderstorms roll through the region.
The severe weather threat covers nearly 60 million people in the central and southern U.S., including most of Kentucky, which just endured a tornado outbreak last Friday that claimed at least 19 lives in the state.
A confirmed tornado sighting was reported near Springfield, Illinois, Tuesday afternoon, triggering a Tornado Warning for the city.
Employees inside the Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield were told to seek shelter in the lowest levels as the tornado-warned storm approached. As FOX Weather was on the phone with an employee in the building, she could hear an emergency alert being broadcast on a public address system in the background, urging people to head to the basements and stay away from windows. So far, there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries there.
The NWS Storm Prediction Center issued several sprawling Tornado Watches as storms got underway on Tuesday afternoon. These weather alerts now span nearly a dozen states and remain in effect well into Tuesday evening and night.
One of the Tornado Watches includes London and Somerset, Kentucky, where residents are still cleaning up after a deadly tornado swept through Friday night. Other Tornado Watches cover large cities like Nashville, Memphis, and Huntsville.
All modes of severe weather, including large hail, damaging wind gusts and the possibility of strong tornadoes (EF-2 or higher) are on the table.
This is part of a relentless eight-day severe weather pattern that began last Wednesday for the middle of the country.
LONDON, KENTUCKY, TORNADO SURVIVORS PILED INTO BATHTUBS, EMERGED TO FIND EVERYTHING GONE
As the powerful upper-level system continues to move through the Midwest, renewed storms will continue to track from Missouri through Illinois and Indiana during the late afternoon and move into parts of Kentucky and the Ozarks. These severe thunderstorms will eventually sweep across the Tennessee Valley by Tuesday evening, once again putting areas still cleaning up from deadly tornadoes back under threat.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 3 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms for Kentucky, Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, northern Mississippi and northern Alabama. Small slivers of southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, northwestern Georgia and southwestern North Carolina are under that same threat level, as well.
TORNADOES DAMAGE HOMES IN ARKANSAS, OKLAHOMA AS SEVERE WEATHER TEARS ACROSS CENTRAL US
The greatest risk of strong tornadoes (EF-2 or higher) will be centered over storm-weary Kentucky, as well as Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, northern Mississippi and northern Alabama, covering cities like Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville in Tennessee, Lexington in Kentucky and Birmingham in Alabama.
London, Kentucky, which was one of the hardest-hit areas by Friday's tornado outbreak, is very close to the area at risk of strong tornadoes.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned people who use NOAA radio for their weather alerts that the service will be down for the next several days.
The National Weather Service said on its website that this is part of a "necessary scheduled system update."
Conditions will become favorable for damaging wind gusts and potential tornado development beginning in the afternoon.
"This is going to come in with straight-line winds," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "Not only are you going to have the chance for tornadoes, but you could have wind gusts of up to 70 mph."
Merwin also highlighted that Nashville, Tennessee, could have two rounds of significant thunderstorms, one around dinnertime and the other after sunset.
She cautioned that nighttime tornadoes will be possible.
NIGHTTIME TORNADOES FAR MORE LIKELY TO TURN DEADLY THAN DAYTIME ONES
Tuesday's storms will also bring heavy rain to central and southern Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, where widespread totals of 1-2 inches are expected, with locally higher amounts exceeding 3 inches.
This rain could hamper tornado recovery efforts in Kentucky.
NOAA's Weather Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 4 flash flood threat for portions of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.
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