ALABAMA — Forecast models are signaling a potential severe weather setup across the lower Mississippi River Valley and parts of Dixie Alley on Friday, January 9, with Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas emerging as the primary areas of concern.
Meteorologists are closely monitoring a developing storm system expected to sweep east late this week. While confidence in exact impacts remains limited, the overall pattern is drawing attention because all severe weather modes — including damaging winds and tornadoes — remain possible, especially for the South during the colder winter season.
Why This Storm System Is Raising Concern
Forecast guidance shows a strong upper-level trough ejecting eastward, a setup that can support organized severe storms even in January. The system is expected to tap into lower-level instability across the South, particularly over central and northern Mississippi, western and middle Tennessee, and northwest Alabama.
Model data indicates that instability will be present on the southern side of the system, which is enough to support thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and isolated tornadoes if storms organize.
Timing and Uncertainty Remain Key Factors
At this stage, forecasters emphasize that there is still significant disagreement among weather models regarding how quickly the trough evolves and where the most favorable overlap of moisture and instability sets up…