The first day of spring was Monday and the spring severe weather season is coming in with a bang. Severe thunderstorms are expected to erupt Friday producing strong tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail, and even areas of flooding from the Deep South into the Ohio Valley.

A potent storm system is swinging into Plains and Great Lakes that will send a cold front clashing into a spring-like air mass situated across the south that's characterized by very warm temperatures and high dew points. This unstable air mass will help fuel storms and the potent storm system will provide directional and speed wind shear that will quickly get discrete storms rotating especially across the Deep South Friday afternoon, evening and into the nighttime hours.

Because of the significant severe risk Friday, the Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate severe risk across the lower Mississippi River Valley including northeastern Louisiana, southeastern Arkansas, and much of western and central Mississippi. A moderate risk is a level 4 out of 5. It's the red shaded color on the graphic below. Surrounding the moderate risk is an enhanced, or a level 3 out of 5, severe risk which is the orange shaded color. Within these risk areas, there are increased odds of damaging thunderstorms including the potential for strong, long-track tornadoes that could continue into the evening and nighttime hours. There's also a severe risk extending outward from the moderate and enhanced risk areas farther east into the Southeast and north into the Ohio Valley where severe storms and tornadoes are also possible. 

**Friday's severe thunderstorm risk (SPC)**

![Friday's severe thunderstorm risk (SPC)](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Friday_s_severe_thunderstorm_risk_SPC_9794a2be47.jpeg)

Some of the cities included in the higher sever risk area include Jackson, MS; Memphis, TN; Little Rock, AR; and Shreveport, LA.

Friday's severe thunderstorm risk--hyper-local (SPC)

![ Friday's severe thunderstorm risk--hyper-local (SPC)](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Friday_s_severe_thunderstorm_risk_hyper_local_SPC_8b705ef114.jpeg)


**Friday's tornado risk--hyper-local (SPC)**

![Friday's tornado risk--hyper-local (SPC)](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Friday_s_tornado_risk_hyper_local_SPC_395b2b6a0a.jpeg)

Storms will be ongoing Friday morning across eastern Oklahoma into eastern Texas near the Louisiana state line. The initial storms could be marginally severe but the increased severe risk arrives just after midday continuing into the later afternoon and evening Friday hours as the storms move closer to the Mississippi River. The line of storms will produce widespread severe thunderstorm warnings due to damaging winds and pocket change size hail and there's the potential for embedded tornadoes. Isolated storms developing ahead of the line will have an increased risk to produce tornadoes some of which could be strong, long-track, potentially violent, tornadoes.

If you live within any of the risk areas on the graphic above, please make sure you have a plan in place to quickly seek safe shelter. Know where you, your family, kids, and pets will go. Also, have a couple reliable weather or media sources to receive quick, accurate weather warnings from. Every second maters in situations such as this.

Friday's severe thunderstorm risk (SPC)

Widespread severe thunderstorms possible Friday across the lower Mississippi River Valley where strong, long-track tornadoes are possible.

Significant severe risk Friday with the potential for strong tornadoes

Late Wednesday morning a tornado touched down in Montebello leaving behind a trail damage, the Los Angeles National Weather Service confirms. Montebello is just eight miles east of downtown Los Angeles and has a population surpassing 60,000 residents.

As the tornado touched down just before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, people took to social media posting videos and images of the tornado and the flying debris as the tornado tore through businesses and homes.

As seen in the videos that've hit social media since the tornado touched down, the tornado damaged numerous structures and cars. The Los Angeles National Weather Service is in the process of evaluating the trail of destruction and will assign a rating to the tornado later Wednesday evening according to a post on their official twitter account.

**Los Angeles NWS tweet about the Wednesday Montebello tornado**

![Los Angeles NWS tweet about Montebello tornado](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Los_Angeles_NWS_tweet_about_Montebello_tornado_7924253d1b.png)

The Los Angeles National Weather Service also confirmed another tornado touched down on Tuesday in Carpinteria. The tornado did cause damage to several mobile homes. The National Weather Service assessed the damage and assigned the tornado a rating of an EF0 with winds up to 75 mph.

**Los Angeles NWS tweet about Tuesday's Carpinteria tornado**

![Los Angeles NWS tweet about Carpinteria tornado](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Los_Angeles_NWS_tweet_about_Carpinteria_tornado_f8db9c2eb9.png)

Southern California has been in a favorable location for showers and thunderstorms that at times have had rotation. A potent area of low pressure is to the north of the region, closer to coastal Central California, helping pull in subtropical moisture off the Pacific and providing adequate speed and directional wind shear. Southern California also saw sunbreaks allowing for an increase in instability, especially for inland areas such as Montebello that are removed from the colder influence of the Pacific Ocean. This is an environment favorable for waterspouts and isolated tornadoes. 

Local media in Los Angeles confirms one person was injured in Wednesday's tornado. The extent of the injuries are unknown at this time.

California sees 11 tornadoes per year.

Image of the tornado courtesy Los Angeles Magazine

The Los Angles NWS confirms a tornado touched down in east Los Angeles late Wednesday morning.

Confirmed tornado touches down in east Los Angeles

Californians this morning are waking up to rainfall and gusty winds, and if they pull out their phone to check the latest forecast and radar, they're seeing something that resembles a hurricane off the central California coast.

The radar shows a big, swirling area of low pressure that has developed a feature that looks like the eye of a hurricane with associated rain bands swirling around the eye-like feature on the radar. This, however, is not a hurricane, it's an extratropical cyclone, and there's a big difference in the way these two weather systems develop. Extratropical cyclones are cold core systems, that can exist over land or water, developing in the mid-latitudes whereas hurricanes are warm core systems that commonly originate more equatorially. 

**Radar Tuesday morning**

![Radar Tuesday morning](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Radar_Tuesday_morning_e4c6d7a961.png)

An extratropical cyclone develops and gathers strength as cold and warm air masses interact releasing potential energy to fuel the storm. Whereas a hurricane develops and gathers its strength from latent heat release as water vapor that has evaporated from the warm ocean waters condenses into liquid water fueling the hurricane. So essentially, extratropical cyclones obtain the fuel or energy needed to develop and strengthen from the temperature difference between cold and warm fronts and hurricanes get their fuel or energy from warm ocean waters.

It should be noted when extratropical cyclones are over waters warm enough to support hurricanes, typically around 70 degrees or warmer, if over the warmer waters long enough and if other atmospheric variables are favorable, extratropical cyclones can begin a transition into more of the warm core or hybrid system.

While extratropical cyclones and hurricanes are different in the way they develop and strengthen, they can bring some similar impacts at times with heavy rainfall, strong winds, and coastal flooding. In fact, extratropical cyclones can have impacts that extend farther away from the center of the low pressure. That is what is happening in California today as this extratropical cyclone is bringing strong winds to the state, pulling in copious amounts of subtropical moisture, and creating rough seas and increased tides along the coast.

Radar Tuesday morning

There's a low pressure that has a feature resembling a hurricane eye off the California coast Tuesday morning.

Is there a hurricane off the California coast?

Spring thunderstorms sparking severe weather and tornadoes are possible today and Friday from the Southern Plains to the South. While thunderstorms are ongoing this morning, the main severe weather begins later today in Texas and Oklahoma as thunderstorms intensify.

**Today’s severe risk**

![Today's thunderstorm outlook](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Today_s_thunderstorm_outlook_199b7066fe.jpeg)

Thunderstorms begin to really intensify early this afternoon just west of I-35 in Texas and Oklahoma. Storms in this area will intensify becoming severe producing very large hail, damaging straight line winds, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding from early afternoon west of I-35 to areas along and east of I-35 from mid to late afternoon and continuing into the evening hours.

**Today's thunderstorm hazards**

![Today's thunderstorm hazards](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Today_s_thunderstorm_hazards_2c65564459.jpeg)

Storms will gradually shift east and develop farther east this evening and tonight in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and western Mississippi.

Because of the severe risk, the Storm Prediction Center has a level 3 of 5 severe risk for the Red River Valley of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma. This does include the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex where there’s a higher chance for damaging hail and tornadoes. Storms will move into the heart of DFW during rush hour which will be a major concern due to the very large hail and potential for tornadoes.

**Friday’s severe risk**

![Friday's thunderstorm outlook](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Friday_s_thunderstorm_outlook_7547cfa0d4.jpeg)

The severe threat continues tonight and Friday for locations farther south and east. The Gulf Coast states from Louisiana to Mississippi to Alabama and the Florida Panhandle will see the potential for heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding, damaging straight line winds and isolated tornadoes throughout the day Friday beginning early Friday afternoon continuing into the late afternoon hours.

There’s a level 2 of 5 severe risk for these areas due to the severe risk extending along the I-10 corridor south to the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida.

Today's thunderstorm hazards

Spring thunderstorms sparking severe weather and tornadoes are possible today and Friday from the Southern Plains to the South. While thunderstorms are ongoing this morning, the main severe weather begins later today in Texas and Oklahoma.

Damaging spring thunderstorms likely today and Friday, tornadoes possible

Another atmospheric river is set to bring flooding to California Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday.

The additional heavy rain, paired with the already saturated soils, and continued snowmelt will create a high risk for flooding in parts of California that could lead to "catastrophic flooding" according to NWS Weather Prediction Center.

**Atmospheric river key takeaways**

![Atmospheric river key takeaways](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Atmospheric_river_key_takeaways_64bf3897df.jpeg)

The biggest impacts from the atmospheric river will arrive Tuesday continuing into early Wednesday as the moisture moves onshore. Heavy rain will be the biggest concern with a couple to several inches of rain falling from Los Angeles County north. The foothills communities will see 3-6 inches of rain with isolated higher amounts favoring the southwest-facing slopes of the foothills and mountains. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento can expect 1-3 inches of rain with 3/4 - 1 1/4 inch for San Diego. The snow level will be above 8,000 feet in southern California and 7,000 feet in the Sierras where feet of snow are expected for the highest peaks.

**Precipitation forecast**

![Precipitation forecast](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Precipitation_forecast_be7537a0ab.png)

As mentioned, with the additional heavy rain, there's a high risk of flooding, landslides, and mudslides. 

**Tuesday flood risk**

![**Tuesday flood risk**](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Tuesday_flood_risk_175f2add96.png)

![**Tuesday flood risk**](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Tuesday_flood_risk_089956536b.jpeg)

Never cross a road covered by water. If you live in an area that's recently seen flooding or heavy rain, please be aware of your surroundings and be ready to move to higher ground.

**Tuesday flood risk**

The additional heavy rain, paired with the already saturated soils, and continued snowmelt will create a high risk for flooding in parts of California that could lead to catastrophic flooding.

An atmospheric river will bring a 'high risk' for flooding to California

After relatively mild temperatures compared to normal for much of this winter, a surge of cold air is reminding everyone across the South that it is indeed still astronomical winter (although spring is just a week away).

The mild temperatures as of late potentially have inspired people to plant gardens and flowers a little bit earlier than they normally would. If you're one of those people, you want to make sure you protect your plants over the next few nights as many folks will see at least a frost, with a widespread freeze also expected, as temperatures fall into the 20s and 30s.

Areas expected to see a frost and/or freeze are going almost as far south as I-10 where there are currently frost and freeze alerts in effect for these areas and areas north of I-10 over the next couple of nights.

**Current frost/freeze alerts**

![Current frost/freeze alerts](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/freeze_alerts_8e3c0e5431.png)

Temperatures Monday night are expected to dip to freezing down to around I-20 in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. 

**Monday night temperatures**

![Monday night temperatures](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Monday_night_temperatures_3ab33f1107.png)

The freezing line dips even farther south on Tuesday night with temperatures at or below freezing almost as far south as I-10 in Mississippi and Alabama and even central and south Georgia and possibly coastal areas of South Carolina seeing a freeze.

**Tuesday night temperatures**

![Tuesday night temperatures](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Tuesday_night_temperatures_6f758fd6fe.png)

Temperatures begin to moderate Wednesday night but an additional freeze is expected for northeastern Alabama, northern Georgia, and upstate South Carolina.

**Wednesday night temperatures**

![Wednesday night temperatures](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Wednesday_night_temperatures_d0a061b66a.png)

Bundle up, bring the pets inside, and protect those plants!

Current frost/freeze alerts

Protect the plants, many folks will see a freeze with temperatures falling into the 20s and 30s.

All blogs

Significant severe risk Friday with the potential for strong tornadoes

Confirmed tornado touches down in east Los Angeles

Is there a hurricane off the California coast?

Damaging spring thunderstorms likely today and Friday, tornadoes possible

An atmospheric river will bring a 'high risk' for flooding to California

Winter making a comeback in the South: widespread freeze likely