Meteorologist Samantha Davies

Tuesday brought one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks with in the past 10 years. As of Wednesday morning the death toll stands at 44 and could go even higher. On Tuesday over 50 tornadoes were reported in 7 states. Residents in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, and Indiana woke up to widespread damage and destruction.

This morning on Weather Plus we looked at some of the damage and talked to some of the reporters on the scene. We went live this morning from Union University in Jackson, TN where several students were taken to the hospital after their dormitories were destroyed. We’ll have more updates similar to that throughout the day. Be sure to watch!

Round two of severe is expected today. From the Delmarva Peninsula to the Gulf coast is where the risk is the highest. Residents in the east can expect damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph, large hail, and tornadoes. The set-up is the same as yesterday; it’s the clash of the 2 air masses. Ahead of a strong cold front is “spring like air”. Parts of the Northeast will see highs in the 60’s, with 70’s expected in the Carolinas. There is also a plume of moisture surging northward from the Gulf of Mexico, which will help fuel strong storms. Behind the front is much cooler and drier air. Chicago’s high today will be near 30 degrees. The biggest threats today are the potential for hail, damaging wind gusts, and tornadoes.

In some of these strong storms heavy rain is likely. Flood watches are in place for the Northeast and Ohio Valley. The heavy rain in a short amount of time will cause water to pond up on roadways. Use extra caution on the highways if you must travel.

The weather will be much calmer on Thursday. That nasty cold front will have passed and skies will clear.