National Weather Service upgrades weather risk for Friday, Saturday storms

The severe weather outlook predicted for Southeast Missouri on Friday night, March 14, into Saturday, March 15, has been upgraded from an "enhanced" risk to a "moderate" risk, the fourth level on a five-level scale.

The National Weather Service reported the potential for a "significant line of severe storms to produce damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes as it moves northeast across the quad state late Friday afternoon into the early morning hours Saturday."

National Weather Service

The weather service said the system is expected to produce wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour ahead of the line of storms Friday afternoon and evening.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, March 13, the NWS stated that models are suggesting "a more solid line of convection from near or just southeast of St. Louis north/northwestward to Central Iowa. Farther south, it appears as though the line of convection may end up being more broken and sporadic as it shifts or develops east across the Quad state. ... Currently it looks like western Kentucky, far Southern Illinois into southwest Indiana would have the greatest risk for supercells."