Dangerous storms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, hail keep South on alert
ORLANDO, Fla. – The threat of dangerous severe weather continues for millions of people across the South Tuesday as powerful thunderstorms barrel across the region.
The extreme weather is part of a multiday severe weather threat that produced deadly storms as they raced across portions of the Gulf Coast on Monday with hurricane-force wind gusts and baseball-sized hail that had people scrambling for safety and knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers.
Strong thunderstorms continued to push across portions of the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia before sunrise on Tuesday, and rounds of storms then began to impact North and Central Florida as the day continued.
While the weather in Florida has since calmed for the afternoon and evening, that's not the end of the severe weather threat there or in the Southeast.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued for about 4 million people in parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee until 8 p.m. CT.
That watch includes Oxford and Tupelo in Mississippi, Florence and Huntsville in Alabama and Nashville in Tennessee.
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Meanwhile, back in Florida, the FOX Forecast Center said a dip in the jet stream would move over the region later on Tuesday night, and its presence will help to ignite a new round of thunderstorms during the evening and into the overnight hours.
That activity is expected to peak in intensity during the predawn hours on Wednesday, with the potential for damaging wind gusts and possible tornadoes.
More severe weather is possible across Central Florida and the Carolinas during the day Wednesday. Those thunderstorms will be capable of producing small hail and damaging wind gusts greater than 60 mph.
Tornadoes are also possible across Central Florida on Wednesday from the Tampa area on the Gulf coast through Orlando and into Melbourne on the Atlantic coast.
Severe thunderstorms are also possible across portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas in the Plains on Wednesday. Large hail and damaging wind gusts are the primary severe weather threats but an isolated tornado can't be ruled out.
Be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted to severe weather in your area and to check on any changes to the forecast.
Original article source: Dangerous storms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, hail keep South on alert
