More severe weather expected Friday in southern US following deadly Ohio Valley tornado outbreak

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Flood threat puts South on edge with more rain coming for soaked region

Although the severe threat will be winding down, it won't be going away completely as storms will continue to impact the southern U.S. in the coming days.

A day after the Ohio Valley was left reeling from a devastating severe weather outbreak, another round of strong storms is making headlines on Friday.

That system that brought the severe weather Thursday is dropping into the Southeast and Southern Plains on Friday. The overall severe threat will decrease compared to Thursday as the available atmospheric energy drops compared to the days prior, but some severe storms will be possible through the afternoon across South Texas and the Deep South.

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The FOX Forecast Center said substantial atmospheric energy will build through the day in Texas setting the stage for the development of powerful thunderstorms across the Hill Country during the afternoon.  

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has upgraded parts of South Texas, including San Antonio, into a Level 3 out of 5 severe weather risk.

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Storms will initially be discrete supercells capable of producing hail potentially baseball-size or larger. A tornado or two may be possible should individual storms persist east of I-35, along with damaging wind gusts of 60 mph or more.

Persistent rains lead to flooding threat through the weekend

While the severe weather threat will abate after Friday, soaking rains remain in the forecast through the weekend as multiple rounds of storms eye the region. 

A flash flood threat will gradually increase, as repeated rounds of rain fall in places already dealing with one of their wettest starts to the year. Swaths of Texas are in a level 2 out of 4 flash flood threat – the Austin area on Friday and then much of southeastern Texas, including Houston, on Saturday.

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Each day, rain will break out along the southern states, with showers and storms expected from Texas to Georgia by Saturday. While severe weather is not expected with this activity, a widespread 1-2 inches of rain will be likely, with some places topping off near 3 inches.

Dozens injured amid deadly severe weather outbreak Thursday

Over 300 reports of severe weather were recorded Thursday, including eight tornadoes in Ohio, Indiana and Texas. Additionally, over 200 reports of hail, with the largest hail measuring 4.5 inches in Oklahoma, and more than 100 reports of damaging wind gusts were reported, the FOX Forecast Center said. 

More than 90 Tornado Warnings and 350 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued Thursday.

SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK LEAVES AT LEAST 2 DEAD AS TORNADOES TEAR ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES

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Watch: Powerful tornado spins through Fryburg, Ohio

A powerful tornado was seen spinning through Fryburg, Ohio, on Thursday. A deadly severe weather outbreak swept across the Southern Plains and Midwest into the Ohio Valley, spawning several tornadoes and leaving trails of damage across multiple states.

Five of the eight tornadoes reported Thursday were in Ohio. It was the second-most active day of severe weather so far this year. Two people died when a tornado tore through Logan County.

Another tornado tore through the town of Winchester, Indiana, leaving 38 injured, but so far no deaths, according to Randolph County Emergency Management. The governor of Indiana surveyed the tornado damage and said 50% of the structures in the town of Selma were damaged.               

THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU ARE DRIVING AND THERE IS A TORNADO ON THE GROUND

Severe storms move through Madison, Indiana, on March 14, 2023.

(Tony Novello)

"What we saw yesterday across Ohio, these were long-lived duration tornadoes," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "These were monster funnels that we're tracking."