Event Report: Significant Severe Thunderstorm Outbreak

Severe thunderstorm activity yesterday, April 2, affected areas from North Texas to the Lower Great Lakes.
Apparent tornadoes have been reported in the Mississippi Valley by the US Storm Prediction Center (SPC), with catastrophic damage evident in certain communities, including Lake City, Arkansas; Selmer, Tennessee; and Nevada, Missouri. National Weather Service ground teams are scheduled to survey affected sites to confirm and assess intensity.
Significant hail and heavily clustered straight-line wind reports have also been reported across a broader area.
This outbreak occurred in the presence of warm, moist and very unstable air with robust wind shear (changing wind direction and speed with height), ahead of a potent frontal system crossing the area. The environment allowed the development of rotating supercell thunderstorms producing destructive tornadoes, most likely EF-3 intensity or higher, and significant hail in excess of 2 inches in diameter.
As this frontal system continues to cross the mainland slowly, the severe weather threat will continue over the next few days. The SPC maintains at least an Enhanced Risk area for the threat of severe thunderstorms through at least Saturday, April 5, with a higher moderate risk for Friday, April 4. Significant hail and destructive tornadoes will be possible over the period from Texas through the Lower Mississippi Valley.

This activity also comes with a substantial flood threat.
The US Weather Prediction Center has issued a High (4/4) Excessive Rainfall risk for northeast Arkansas up through southwestern Kentucky. Catastrophic heavy rainfall and flash flooding is expected in areas that have already seen storm impacts, with storm totals reaching as high as 10-15 inches through the weekend.
Areas that have already seen rainfall will be at especially high risk, as waterlogged soils will absorb less precipitation.

As of early April 2025, the United States has experienced several tornado outbreaks, notably from March 13-16 and on April 2, leading to above-average preliminary tornado local storm reports for the year to date, per the SPC.
On April 2, the National Weather Service issued 284 tornado warnings, marking the second-highest number ever recorded in a single day behind April 2011, according to media reports.
Peak tornado activity in the United States typically occurs between April and June. Tornadoes are most frequent in the early spring for the Gulf Coast states, from May into June for the southern Great Plains, and from June to July for the northern Great Plains and upper Midwest. However, tornadoes can occur at any time of the year outside of peak season.