Severe Thunderstorms Threaten the South

Satellite image of a line of severe storms sweeping across the South on Feb. 1. CREDIT: NASA/NOAA. View full size image

February is starting off with a bang, severe weather-wise. Severe thunderstorms are now rolling through the southern United States, as a new satellite image shows. 

The nation's Storm Prediction Center is eyeing a line of storms that extend from the Gulf of Mexico through Tennessee today (Feb. 1). The above image, taken by NASA's GOES-13 satellite, shows some of the overshooting cloud tops associated with the severe weather.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for portions of central and southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, extreme southeast Oklahoma and northeast Texas until 8 p.m. CST (9 p.m. EST).

While winter has been wimpy with little cold or snow, January saw above average tornado action. January tornadoes are not as common as spring tornadoes, but severe weather can strike any time of year.

Central Alabama, where tornadoes took a deadly toll in 2011, is braving the twisters again in 2012. Alabama had 10 tornadoes on Jan. 23 and another one on Jan. 26. The tornadoes included an EF-3 on the tornado damage scale, and three people were killed during the outbreak.