Since Monday, at least 21 tornadoes have been confirmed across several states including Tennessee, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Nebraska, with more anticipated as further surveys are conducted on Thursday.
Tuesday alone witnessed 20 reported tornadoes across five states: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Arkansas, with additional surveys scheduled for later Thursday.
This brings the total number of reported tornadoes in the last two days to over 40 across 11 states.
Union City, Michigan, experienced a Tornado Emergency on Tuesday evening, marking the first such alert ever issued within the state. These alerts, introduced by the National Weather Service in 1999, are exceptionally rare and are only issued when there is an imminent or ongoing threat of catastrophic damage and loss of life.
In Portage, Michigan, just south of Kalamazoo, significant damage occurred at a large FedEx facility. However, all occupants of the building were reported alive and safe by the company.
Elsewhere, multiple homes sustained damage in areas like Fairhaven, West Virginia; Irondale, Ohio; Charloe, Ohio; and Garland County, Arkansas.
A Flood Warning is in effect for the Cincinnati, Ohio, area until 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, following up to 3 inches of rainfall that led to road closures due to ongoing flooding, as reported by law enforcement.
While a Tornado Watch in parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Illinois is set to expire at 7 a.m. ET, storms are anticipated to persist into the morning.
Thursday afternoon brings the potential for a new round of storms in mid-Missouri and St. Louis, raising the possibility of Wednesday marking the third day of a multi-day tornado outbreak, the fourth such event in just a month.
The energy from this storm system is expected to generate severe thunderstorms across a wide area extending from Texas to the Ozarks, the Ohio River Valley, and the Mid-Atlantic throughout the afternoon and evening hours.
A moderate risk (4 out of 5 on the severe scale) is forecasted for an area stretching from just east of Springfield, Missouri, to Nashville, Tennessee, with the potential for strong tornadoes. While tornadoes are also possible outside of this area, an enhanced risk (3 out of 5) is primarily anticipated for giant hail and destructive winds.
Mayfield, Kentucky, included in the moderate risk area, was the site of the deadly tornado in December 2021, resulting in 57 fatalities, marking the deadliest tornado since the 2011 Joplin, Missouri, disaster.
Major metropolitan areas likely to be impacted by potentially damaging storms today include St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Springfield (Missouri), and Little Rock.
Furthermore, Flood Watches have been issued for multiple states in anticipation of the forthcoming storms.