Severe weather increasingly likely on Thursday

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
442 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2010

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK APPEARS INCREASINGLY LIKELY ACROSS THE MID-SOUTH THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...
...FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE AS EARLY AS WEDNESDAY NIGHT...

WARM AND MOIST AIR WILL BUILD INTO THE MID-SOUTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEHIND A NORTHWARD MOVING WARM FRONT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR THIS FRONT WEDNESDAY NIGHT... ESPECIALLY OVER EASTERN ARKANSAS... WEST TENNESSEE AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL.

THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME VERY UNSTABLE BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON... IN ADVANCE OF DEEPENING SURFACE LOW LIFTING NORTH THROUGH ARKANSAS. THIS INSTABILITY... COMBINED WITH STRONG WIND SHEAR... WILL PROVIDE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MID-SOUTH ON THURSDAY. TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE... A FEW OF WHICH COULD BE PARTICULARLY STRONG AND LONG LIVED. IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO THREAT... VERY LARGE HAIL AND STRAIGHT-LINE WIND GUSTS WELL IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY.

THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY THURSDAY... EXPANDING TO INCLUDE ALL OF THE MID-SOUTH THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF FRIDAY.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A WEATHER RADIO... THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO PURCHASE ONE. IN ADDITION... YOU SHOULD REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WATCH AND A WARNING AND BE READY TO PUT YOUR SAFETY PLANS INTO ACTION WHEN SEVERE WEATHER THREATENS.

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PWB