Parts of Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama could be in for a stormy day ahead as severe weather that left widespread damage and injuries in Texas moves across the United States.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said there is a moderate risk for severe weather including damaging winds with gusts upwards of 75 mph, flooding, hail the size of ping pong balls and several tornadoes.
"A regional severe weather outbreak appears likely across the Lower Mississippi Valley and central Gulf Coast States today into tonight," the center tweeted. "Tornadoes, some of which should be strong, and potentially widespread damaging winds will be the most impactful hazards."
Mississippi and Louisiana could get the brunt of the storm, with forecasters calling for the possibility of tornadoes Tuesday in Jackson and Baton Rouge. Other cities at risk of the most severe weather include Lafayette, LA; Lake Charles, LA; and Hattiesburg, MS.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Louisiana and Mississippi until 7 p.m. CDT Tuesday. More than 4.7 million people are included in the watch zone, according to the National Weather Service New Orleans.
"Storms could begin to impact our area as early as noon and could persist through midnight, so realize this could be a prolonged event," the agency tweeted. "Conditions continue to become more unstable and there is an increasing threat of supercells capable of producing damaging winds and tornadoes."
In Louisiana, officials have warned thousands of people living in government-provided mobile homes to have an evacuation plan in place, especially with an increased flooding risk from heavy rain expected, CBS News reported. The FEMA trailers are housing families whose homes were badly damaged or destroyed by hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020.
The storm is responsible for at least one death and several injuries in Texas, where more than 20 reports of tornados were received Monday evening, according to The Washington Post. The storm damaged buildings and cars, brought down trees and left more than 60,000 people without power.
In Jacksboro, Texas, parents waiting to pick up their kids at the high school and elementary had to scramble inside for protection when a tornado hit, KRLD reported. The damage was so vast, Jacksboro Police Chief Scott Haynes said it was a miracle that nobody was killed.
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