Officials are expecting a widespread chance of severe weather across a large portion of the nation starting tomorrow.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Fort Worth has predicted that chances of rain will increase as the middle of the week approaches and a new storm system enters the region.
The agency had previously predicted the continuation of mid-week storms along with a warming trend, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The main threat associated with this storm system is gusty winds and hail. However, the NWS told The Dallas Express that it has not ruled out the possibility of tornados.
Steve Fano with the NWS in Fort Worth told The Dallas Express that this is a very “active” time of year.
The NWS predicts that the threat of severe storms will be low on Thursday, March 30, but that chances will rise on Friday, March 31.
As of current projections, the metroplex will have a 30 to 40% chance of storms after 1:00 p.m. on Friday as the storm system moves through the area, while the greater chances of 40-50% and higher remain to the north.
Fano told The Dallas Express that this system is expected to impact states such as Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and other areas in the Midwest as it moves across the nation.
“It’s definitely a strong system, and it could produce some additional severe weather to parts of the country that have already experienced severe weather in the last week,” said Fano.
As this system tracks eastward out of Texas, the threat of severe weather will shift further south between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday.
The NWS in Jackson, Mississippi, has already advised citizens to be prepared in the event of severe weather and to have safety plans in place.
States as far north as Illinois are also anticipating this wave of severe weather. The NWS in Chicago, Illinois, also predicted an increased chance of thunderstorms on March 31 in anticipation of this storm system.
The NWS expects the system will exit the region on April 1 but predicts another round of mid-week storms will be possible for the coming week.