Amid the height of spring’s severe weather period, meteorologists and emergency officials on Tuesday were planning for another round of unsettling storms in parts of the South, following a pattern of unpredictable weather the region has seen in recent weeks.
More than nine million people in the South, from Southern Mississippi across to Georgia and up to southern South Carolina, were under an enhanced risk for severe weather, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said.
Storms passing through the region could bring heavy rain, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes. They were expected to begin early in the day in the lower Mississippi Valley and possibly intensify as they move through the Southeast during the afternoon.
The National Weather Service in Mobile, Ala., said two rounds of severe weather were expected Tuesday morning through the afternoon. Storms could produce damaging winds up to 70 miles per hour in addition to fast-moving tornadoes. Up to three inches of rain was expected, and meteorologists warned of flash flooding.
The Weather Service issued similar forecasts for much of Georgia and the Florida Panhandle for Tuesday.
People rescued from flooding in Texas.
Parts of Texas started the week with a round of severe thunderstorms that set off a wave of warnings that lasted into early Tuesday around the Fort Worth area.
By early Tuesday, more than 33,000 people in Texas were without power, mostly in East Texas, according to Poweroutage.us, which aggregates data from utilities across the United States.
Around 11 p.m. local time on Monday, meteorologists for the Weather Service in Fort Worth alerted residents to a strong line of storms. “Seek shelter on the lowest floor in an interior room now!” they said on Twitter, adding that winds could exceed 80 miles per hour. Soon a flash flood warning was in effect for Dallas County, and forecasters warned drivers not to enter flooded roadways. “Turn around, don’t drown!” they said.
A handful of people were rescued from rising waters in McKinney, about 30 miles north of Dallas, on Monday night, the McKinney Fire Department said on Twitter. A special operations team conducted three water rescues, pulling four people to safety after their cars were swept away. No injuries were reported.
Other storm damage was reported farther east, where a number of trees had fallen on homes.
Severe weather season in full swing.
While storms are not uncommon in parts of the South at any time of year, the peak severe weather season in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida is typically during March, April and May, the Weather Service said.
