12/31/10 Forecast/Nowcast IL/MO/AR/MS/LA/AL/KY/TN

Greg Forbes as a TORCON of 4 from Southeast IA to southeast KS/southwest MO... SPC has a Slight for much of eastern MO down into AR/LA/MS... and bordering areas just to the east...

Meantime, it appears a major winter storm is going to slam parts of the Rockies and upper Midwest, including up to a foot of snow in some places, blizzard conditions, and freezing rain.

Tornado Watches are in effect and a few tornadoes are going on over south central Missouri, hearing there may have been a few touchdowns early this morning/overnight, one, which resulted in 3 fatalities via twitter from @JimCantore and @SevereStudios...

This appears to be an extremely dangerous situation...

Tornado threat continues today from far southern IL/northern MO all the way to the gulf coast

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
509 PM CST FRI DEC 31 2010

MSC049-121-312330-
/O.CON.KJAN.TO.W.0109.000000T0000Z-101231T2330Z/
HINDS MS-RANKIN MS-
509 PM CST FRI DEC 31 2010

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM CST FOR WEST
CENTRAL RANKIN AND EAST CENTRAL HINDS COUNTIES...

...THIS IS A TORNADO EMERGENCY FOR THE WARNED AREA...

AT 509 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS AND STORM
SPOTTERS WERE TRACKING A LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO. THIS
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR RICHLAND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
FLOWOOD AND PEARL BY 515 PM CST...
BRANDON BY 520 PM CST...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO WARNING MEANS THAT A TORNADO IS OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. YOU
SHOULD ACTIVATE YOUR TORNADO ACTION PLAN AND TAKE PROTECTIVE ACTION
NOW.

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. THIS
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG TO VIOLENT TORNADOES. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY!

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CST FRIDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS AND NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI.