CNN Weather
One forecast model shows where heavy rain is expected to fall through Saturday. Yellow indicates high rainfall and high total precipitation.
CNN
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Powerful storms will hit much of the United States over the weekend, increasing the risk of damaging winds, hail, flooding and even some tornadoes in the South.
Atlanta faces a significant flooding threat as severe thunderstorms and heavy rains focus on the region.
Here's how the threat is expected to play out by the end of the week.
Thursday: Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain begin
A surge of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will fuel a storm track across the south-central United States on Thursday that could be very strong.
Thunderstorms rumbled across parts of the southern Plains Thursday morning, but more severe storms began to develop in the same areas in the afternoon.
The damaging storm will continue eastward into the evening, eventually reaching parts of the Mississippi Valley late Thursday night.
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Downpours of rain, damaging wind gusts and hail are the main risks.Extremely dangerous, large hail could hit parts of central Texas and western Oklahoma.
The chance of tornado activity will increase later this week, although the possibility of a tornado or two cannot be ruled out.
Heavy rain during severe thunderstorms could cause flooding in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The Dallas area was at a level 2/4 risk of flooding rain Thursday, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
The severe weather system will bring drenching rain to large areas of the Plains and Mississippi Valley, even north of severe thunderstorms.
Friday: Severe thunderstorms and flooding threat increases
The storm will move east on Friday, strengthening and expanding its range. The threat of severe thunderstorms and major flooding will be widespread across the southern Plains and southeast.
The damaging storms from Thursday night could linger in parts of Texas and Oklahoma into Friday morning, but the storm is expected to return to the region by early Friday afternoon.
These storms will roar through parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, then continue eastwards into the evening, potentially reaching Mississippi and Alabama.
Large hail, damaging wind gusts, torrential rain, and tornadoes are possible. Tornado risk extends across a wide area from Texas and Oklahoma, through Alabama and into parts of Georgia and Florida.
Dallas, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jackson, Mississippi are just a few of the cities with a Level 2/5 risk of severe thunderstorms on Friday, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The threat of flooding will also increase. Cities from Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, to Atlanta are under Level 3/4 flood rainfall risk. Atlanta was already dealing with major flooding Wednesday after 3 inches of rain inundated the area.
Torrential rains late Friday and into the night could bring another 3 to 4 inches of rain to the Atlanta area, creating another round of dangerous flash flooding in already soaked soils that can't withstand more rain. There is a possibility.
A widespread storm will spread across much of the East by Saturday, bringing another day of severe thunderstorms and flooding.
Once again, the greatest risk of severe thunderstorms will be concentrated in the southern United States. Damaging storms from Friday night could continue into parts of Alabama, Georgia and Florida into Saturday morning.
More storms could roar into the Carolinas Saturday afternoon as warmer temperatures bring more energy.
The main risks from Saturday's strong thunderstorms are expected to be wind damage, heavy rain and some tornadoes.
Further north, the storm is expected to spread pouring rain across the Great Lakes during the day and reach the Northeast by Saturday evening. The rain could turn into a wintry mix of rain, ice and snow in higher elevations in the interior of the Northeast late Saturday.
After several days of active weather, the storm is expected to move out for much of the Eastern Sunday and drier conditions are expected to take hold. However, the combination of rain and winter is likely to continue in New England.
