re: Severe Weather Moving East Today

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A multi-day severe weather episode is expected Day 4-5/Fri-Sat from the Arklatex into the Deep South vicinity. An intense mid/upper trough over the Four Corners and northwest Mexico early on Friday will eject eastward into the southern Plains by 12z Saturday. At the surface, low pressure will develop over TX and shift east/northeast toward central AR by 12z Saturday. Ahead of the low, rich Gulf moisture will stream northward across eastern TX/OK and expand eastward across the lower MS Valley and Gulf Coast states through Saturday. 60s F dewpoints are forecast to extend as far north as the lower OH Valley by Saturday morning, with upper 60s to near 70s dewpoints over parts of the Arklatex on Friday into much of LA/MS/AL/GA on Saturday. This anomalously rich and broad warm sector will reside beneath a 50-70 kt southerly low level jet and 80+ kt southwesterly 500 mb jet streak. While some questions remain over how pristine the warm sector ahead of the surface low and cold front will remain, especially on Saturday, this kinematic and thermodynamic parameter-space will support severe thunderstorms capable of all severe hazards from the Arklatex into the TN Valley/Gulf Coast states Friday and Saturday. Mixed convective modes are anticipated given the strength of shear, with a QLCS likely developing ahead of the surface cold front. This will support damaging gusts and mesovortex tornado potential. Additionally, any semi-discrete convection that develops ahead of the QLCS will be in an environment capable of supporting supercells and tornadoes, especially from east TX through central MS/AL.

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