Parts of more than a dozen states are threatened by tornadoes on Saturday as severe storms continue to head eastward, forecasters warn.
The outbreak is forecasted across the central Gulf Coast, Deep South and the Tennessee Valley with some tornadoes spanning long and possibly causing havoc, according to the National Weather Service.
The highest threat is expected across eastern Louisiana and Mississippi around Saturday afternoon, before later spreading into Alabama and western parts of the Florida Panhandle and Georgia, the weather service reported.
The National Weather Service on Friday warned that potentially strong tornadoes may develop on Saturday over the lower to middle Mississippi and Tennessee valleys. Lightning, wind gusts of at least 74 mph and hail of at least two inches will accompany the outbreak over parts of the valleys and Southeast through Sunday.
“These storms will be fast-moving and extremely dangerous. It is important to have a severe weather plan and to have multiple ways to receive watches and warnings,” the weather service warned on X.
AccuWeather issued an “extreme risk” warning, its most intense severe weather category, for the first time since May 26, 2024. The forecast provider’s warned the threat level will persist until after daylight hours Saturday making the situation tremendously dangerous.
Tornado forecast map for Saturday, March 15
See a full version of the map below right here.
Which states may see tornadoes?
The Saturday tornado threat is forecasted over parts of the following states:
Which states are at highest risk for tornadoes?
AccuWeather reports that its highest tornado threat level is forecasted for the following areas:
AccuWeather illustrates the areas with the highest tornado risk level on Saturday, March, 15, 2025.
Tornado watches issued: See national weather map
The National Weather Service issued tornado watches for parts of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana by Friday evening.
National weather radar
Contributing: Doyle Rice and Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tornado outbreak ‘likely’ on Saturday: Which states could be impacted?