"South Braces for Severe Tornado Outbreak"

The Lower 48 is experiencing severe weather and flooding, with a storm reaching its peak on Friday that could produce strong tornadoes and destructive winds in the Mid-South, and flooding rain from the Ozarks to the Ohio Valley. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has declared a Level 4 of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms for northeastern Louisiana, southeastern Arkansas, and much of Mississippi, plus a sliver of southwest Tennessee including Memphis. The storm is being energized by the same dip in the jet stream that swept a powerful storm through California on Tuesday and Wednesday and delivered tornadoes there.