Meteorologists yesterday were urging people in parts of the midwest and southern US to be ready for dangerous weather including tornadoes, saying the conditions are similar to those a week ago that unleashed a devastating twister that killed at least 21 people in Mississippi.
An outbreak of severe thunderstorms could cause hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes that could be strong and move on the ground over long distances, the US National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said.
The major population centers at greatest risk for storms include Memphis, Tennessee; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as of Thursday afternoon’s forecast.
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However, people throughout eastern Iowa, western and northern Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas should also be prepared, said Northern Illinois meteorology professor and tornado expert Victor Gensini.
“There will be lots of thunderstorms ... tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail,” he said.
People in those areas should stock emergency supplies, prepare for power outages, avoid getting stranded in places vulnerable to falling trees or severe hail, and park vehicles in garages if possible, meteorologists said.
On Friday last week, a vicious tornado in Mississippi killed at least 21 people, injured dozens and flattened entire blocks as it carved a path of destruction for more than an hour. About 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said.
The toll was especially steep in western Mississippi’s Sharkey County, where 13 people were killed in a county of 3,700 residents. Winds of up to 322 kph barreled through the rural farming town of Rolling Fork, reducing homes to rubble, flipping vehicles and toppling the town’s water tower.
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were scheduled to visit Rolling Fork yesterday.
Gensini said that yesterday’s atmospheric setup was similar to the conditions that were present during Mississippi’s deadly storm.
At least the first 10 days of April are expected to be rough, Accuweather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
Bill Bunting, the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center chief of forecasting operations, said people need to have a severe weather plan in place that includes multiple ways to receive storm warning information.
“We’ve all seen the coverage of the heartbreaking situations in other parts of the country. Our fervent hope is that people pay attention to the forecasts that have been out for several days now regarding Friday’s threat,” Bunting said.
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