UPDATE Apr 29 at 12:30 pm: The latest outlook from the Storm Prediction Center has reduced the chance of severe weather to “marginal” across the Southeast. That means severe weather can still occur but will likely be isolated in nature. More than one line of thunderstorms is likely through the day and evening.
We are definitely in a weather pattern that is conducive to severe weather events in the Southeast this year. The next round of severe weather is already on the way, with a healthy line of storms moving through Oklahoma and Arkansas as of 10:30 pm on the 28th. This line will advance through the Southeast on April 29, with timing roughly entering the northwest corner of Georgia in early afternoon (roughly around 2 pm, although that timing is certainly not exact) and moving to the southwest slowly, passing through southeast Georgia most likely overnight into Thursday morning. Atlanta could see the line pass in the 4-7 pm time frame.
This storm is not as likely as the previous two events to produce big tornadoes, but there could be strong straight-line winds, possibly heavy hail, and some brief spin-up tornadoes along the line. Straight-line winds can cause as much damage as tornadoes! It’s not clear where the storms will be more intense, but it could be farther north and east this time than the last two systems, so don’t think that if you missed severe weather the last two times that you are out of the woods on this event, too. Be aware and be prepared to move to safety if needed!
