Eclipse travelers in the South to face risk for severe thunderstorms

A heightened risk for robust storms across the South will pose potential hazards for eclipse viewers traveling to the region on Monday, forecasters warned.

As the heart of April approaches and the peak of severe weather season nears, AccuWeather forecasters said those traveling to areas in the path of totality for Monday's celestial event, especially in the southern states, could face a stormy reception.

On Sunday, a cold front pushing across the Mississippi Valley will ignite a line of thunderstorms, some of which can bring hefty downpours, hail and even isolated tornadoes. The corridor where northeast Arkansas meets up with southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and far western Kentucky and Tennessee will face the best chances for hail and a tornado through Sunday evening.

For those traveling through the Mississippi Valley on Sunday to view the eclipse, there can be travel disruptions due to storms rolling through the region. People choosing to stay in campgrounds should stay alert and weather aware if they are within the storm risk zone.

"With so many people traveling to unfamiliar areas and camping, or staying in an RV, it's important to take a few minutes to locate your nearest storm shelter. It may be a sturdy restroom building, campground office, a nearby public storm shelter, or even a 24-hour retail store," explained AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin.

As the front advances eastward into Monday and the line of storms taper off, a middle- to upper-level zone of low pressure will emerge out of the southwestern states and track into the Lone Star State. This feature will play a key role in the development of storms throughout the week.

"A large dip in the jet stream will be ejected out of the Southwest and slowly move into the Plains states over the next several days, sparking daily chances for potent thunderstorms," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva.

On Monday, an array of severe weather risks will arise from portions of Texas to Arkansas and far western Mississippi, ranging from heavy rain to large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. Storms can persist across the region through Monday night, spreading rounds of heavy rain and wind, elevating the risk for flooding and power outages.

Along the path of totality for the eclipse, there is a high chance for cloud cover across much of central and eastern Texas, southern and eastern Arkansas, forecasters say. Not only will viewing be less than favorable, additional risks can arise with storms ramping up.

"Check the forecast before hitting the road before, and especially after the solar eclipse. Consider leaving early, or delaying your travel plans, to avoid driving through severe storms. Navigating unfamiliar roads while dealing with downpours, lightning, low visibility and possible flooding can be incredibly dangerous, especially if there's more traffic on the roads," DePodwin said.

He added that it only takes wind gusts of 55 mph to uproot trees, even less if the ground is saturated from recent rainfall. Trees can be incredibly dangerous in severe weather as winds ramp up.

As travelers in the southern Plains depart the region following Monday's eclipse, the stretch of stormy weather will not cease for the middle and latter half of the week. From Tuesday to Tuesday night, disruptive thunderstorms can impact a widespread region once again from Texas to Mississippi.

Similar threats that are projected in storms on Monday will arise again on Tuesday however, additional rounds of rain across the same region can make some areas more susceptible to flooding.

"There can be delays at airports for millions of people traveling home from the eclipse, particularly across airports located in Dallas, Houston Jackson, Mississippi, and even Little Rock, Arkansas," added DaSilva.

This week, the slow-moving storms and repeat downpours from the South Central states to the mid-Atlantic states will heighten the risk for flooding. From Monday night to Thursday, between 2-4 inches of rain can fall from northeast Texas to northern Georgia, on northward into parts of the Ohio Valley. Totals can soar above the 4 inch-mark where storms are projected to set up day after day, from far northeastern Texas to northwest Mississippi.

The severe weather threat will continue to push eastward along the Gulf coast states into midweek, impacting locations from Little Rock to Atlanta by Wednesday. Numerous metro areas can be impacted as storms ignite from Wednesday to Wednesday night, including New Orleans and Montgomery, Ala.

The AccuWeather Local StormMax for severe thunderstorms from Wednesday and Wednesday night is currently set at 80 mph.

On Thursday, storms will advance to the Southeast coast and northern Florida. Localized damaging wind gusts can reach speeds of 50-60 mph and impact travelers along portions of interstates 10, 20, 75 and 95.

As the trailing cold front shifts offshore from the Carolinas Thursday night into Friday, a pocket of high pressure can advance into the Southeast and Gulf Coast states behind it.

Following what is expected to be an active severe weather week across the South, weather across the region by Friday and Saturday can turn out to be drier and calmer as high pressure sets up.