Severe weather later today

The Mid-South continues to be in a MODERATE risk for severe weather for this afternoon and evening. In addition, a Flash Flood Watch and Wind Advisory are in effect as rain could come quickly with this system, posing a flash flood threat, and windy conditions will prevail all day and tonight with gusts over 40 mph possible.

Here's what the NWS-Memphis office has to say:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
554 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

...A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK IS LIKELY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...

A POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST INTO THE MID SOUTH LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED IN ADVANCE OF THIS SYSTEM ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS EARLY THIS MORNING AND WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AND INTENSIFY THROUGH THE DAY. BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON...SURFACE HEATING WILL ALLOW THE AIRMASS OVER MUCH OF THE MID SOUTH TO BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE. AS LARGE SCALE LIFT OVERSPREADS THE HIGHLY SHEARED AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE...EXPECT THE POSSIBILITY OF DISCRETE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS. ANY DISCRETE STORMS THAT CAN DEVELOP WILL BECOME SEVERE QUICKLY AND BE CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND TORNADOES. A FEW STRONG TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY DISCRETE STORMS.

THE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL EVENTUALLY MOVE ACROSS THE MID SOUTH LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL LIKELY BE SIGNIFICANT AND CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS. WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 80 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE IN ISOLATED AREAS WHERE SIGNIFICANT BOW ECHOES MOVE THROUGH. LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE GREATEST RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE BETWEEN 3 PM CDT AND 11 PM CDT ACROSS FAR WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI.

Be prepared for the possibility of severe weather later today and tonight - have a plan ahead of time in case severe weather strikes and review severe weather safety tips now.