Heavy rain, severe thunderstorms and even a chance of tornadoes were forecast to threaten Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and surrounding states in the afternoon and evening of Oct. 18, forecasters said.
An "increasingly active weather pattern" was set to bring the stormy weather from the mid- and lower-Mississippi Valley region on Oct. 18 and move through the Midwest and Great Lakes region by Oct. 19, according to the National Weather Service.
A population of over 13 million people in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois could see the most severe weather later in the day, the Storm Prediction Center said. The main potential hazards are damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes.
Major cities most at risk include Memphis, Tennessee; Shreveport, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; and Springfield, Missouri.
The thunderstorms could also bring excessive rainfall in northern Arkansas, southern Missouri and southern Illinois, bringing a risk of flash flooding, the weather service said.
