Millions of people across the South are under threat of damaging winds, strong tornadoes and hail Saturday as the region braces for more potential destructive storms.
Multiple tornadoes have been reported in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi over the past couple of days, including an EF-1 tornado (86- to 110-mph winds) near Fullerton, Louisiana, on Friday.
The National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes in Texas on Thursday, including an EF-1 in the Houston area that caused structural damage to some homes.
Saturday’s risk for more storms, which affects 17 million people, stretches from east Texas to Alabama and includes the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Louisiana; Houston; Jackson, Mississippi; and Birmingham, Alabama.
“Storm development is possible during the early morning with more development possible during the afternoon in East Texas/western Louisiana,” the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said on X. “The strongest storms and greatest strong (EF2+) tornado threat will exist during late afternoon/early evening.”
A tornado watch is in effect for an area spanning from east Texas to southwestern Mississippi, where a severe threat for “damaging gusts, large hail, and a couple of tornadoes may occur through the remainder of the morning,” according to the Storm Prediction Center field office in Norman, Oklahoma.
Amid the ongoing weather, there have been over 3,360 flight delays and 162 cancellations within, into or out of the U.S. as of 11 a.m. ET Saturday, according to FlightAware.com.
The majority of cancellations and delays are into and out of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, with over 370 delays and almost 100 cancellations.
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