Accuweather: More Strong Storms On The Way

A volatile weather system tracking west to east across the United States is threatening to bring an outbreak of severe weather to a wide section of the Gulf Coast region hit hard by a tornado outbreak last week, as well as for an area farther to the north that includes Mississippi and Tennessee valleys on Wednesday, AccuWeather forecasters warned.

The risk of damaging thunderstorms and heavy downpours will be prevalent Wednesday and Wednesday night into areas from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle and as far north as southern Illinois. Severe thunderstorms are likely to impact some of the same areas that were slammed with severe weather just a week earlier, and AccuWeather meteorologists are warning residents in those areas to be on high alert once again for more dangerous storms.

Potentially severe thunderstorms are expected to begin ramping up by Wednesday morning for cities like Little Rock, Arkansas, Memphis, Tennessee, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri. For other locations, including New Orleans, the stormy weather is likely to begin during the afternoon hours. Just last week, part of New Orleans and a suburb took a direct hit from an EF3 tornado.

The storm system moving eastward is so expansive that more than 50 million are at risk for some type of severe weather on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center (SPC). The SPC has issued a moderate risk for severe weather Wednesday, which is the second-highest risk category for severe thunderstorms issued by the center. More than 8.2 million people live in the area covered by a moderate risk.

New Orleans, which sustained a direct hit from an EF3 tornado last week, is in line for more severe weather this week, AccuWeather forecasters say. In addition, the threat of nighttime tornadoes will once again be a hazard that residents in these areas are advised to be on alert for.