MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A Tornado Warning is in effect for Crockett County until 7:30 p.m. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Memphis and Bartlett in TN and West Memphis AR until 7:00 p.m. A Tornado Watch has been issued for Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas along with Louisiana and Texas. The weather alert is until 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Memphis. The affected areas include Memphis, Oxford, Miss., and Jackson, Tenn. Some of the threats during this time include tornadoes, hail and strong winds up 70 mph. There's a Flood Watch for Memphis and the rest of the Mid-South until early Sunday morning. The flooding risk is largely confined to West Tennessee and northeast Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel. Storms will start to develop over Arkansas and move toward the Mississippi River around 6 p.m. Sunshine and the warm front have already popped temps up to 70 degrees and instability will serve as convective fuel for strong storms ahead of the main line of storms that will develop late this afternoon/early evening. The greatest risk will be damaging winds and the possibility of tornadoes. The storm's timeline is from 5-9 p.m. Following the frontal passage, temperatures dramatically drop on gusty northwest winds. There may be some wintry mix in the overnight hours but we are not concerned about accumulation. For Saturday: Expect widespread showers and strong thunderstorms, with a high near 70 degrees. Winds will be out of the south at 10-15 mph, with gusting near 30 mph. Severe storms are possible, especially along and south of Interstate 40, bringing damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes (EF-2 or stronger). Heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding, particularly in northwest Tennessee, where 4-6 inches of rain may fall. Loud storms and heavy rain continue to train mostly north of I-40 before dropping further south as we head into the early afternoon and evening. This is when we will see a flare of storm energy into the area under that Level 3 threat for storm to severe weather, including Memphis. The greatest storm strength looks to be in our southern counties. Please keep in mind that these storms can develop anywhere in the area and we all need to be weather aware. Sunday in the morning could still see a little bit of flurry action but not significant. That comes next week with what is shaping up to be a significant winter weather event and dangerous wind chill/temperatures and potential record-breaking cold temperatures. For Saturday night: Rain and thunderstorms will continue into the evening before tapering off. Temperatures will drop to around 35 degrees, with breezy southwest winds at 15-20 mph and gusting near 30 mph. Monday (Presidents Day): Partly cloudy with a high near 43 degrees and a low around 29 degrees. Tuesday: A 30% chance of rain and snow showers in the afternoon, with a high near 43 degrees. Tuesday Night: A 90% chance of snow and a wintry mix before transitioning fully to snow. Lows around 20 degrees. Accumulating snow is possible. Wednesday: A 20% chance of lingering snow showers early, otherwise mostly cloudy with a high near 27 degrees. Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, lows around 13 degrees as arctic air moves in. Thursday: Mostly sunny, but cold, with a high near 25°F. Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with lows dropping to around 13 degrees. Friday: Mostly sunny, high near 33 degrees.
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