Multi-Day Severe Storms Taper as Late-Thursday Hail Risk Lingers in Texas and Coastal Louisiana

Overview

• Across southwest and central Texas, which remained under Severe Thunderstorm Watch 182 on Thursday, elevated supercells continued to form and pose a large hail threat into the evening.
• In southern and coastal Louisiana and far eastern Texas, storms developing along a cold front on Thursday carried a limited risk for marginally severe hail and gusty winds, and officials said a new watch was unlikely.
• SPC meteorologists monitored late-Thursday storm growth near the Rio Grande and along the southward-moving outflow, noting that any southward spread or Mexico-to-Texas crossings could prompt localized hail and strong wind concerns and possibly a new watch.
• Following Tuesday night’s surge in low-level winds over southeast Arkansas, northern Mississippi, and far southwest Tennessee, the tornado risk increased and multiple watches were issued or extended as supercells produced very large hail up to about 3.25 inches.
• Forecasters tied the multi-day outbreak to extreme instability of 3000–4000+ J/kg and strong wind shear exceeding 50–60 knots, a setup that supports supercells where elevated storms mainly produce hail and surface-based storms raise damaging wind and tornado risk.