Millions under threat for tornadoes, severe weather this weekend

There were over 50 reports of severe weather on Friday from Texas to Mississippi, with at least five reported tornadoes touching down in parts of northern Texas.

That same storm system is producing severe weather Saturday across parts of the Gulf Coast. A tornado watch is in effect from parts of Louisiana to Florida through early Saturday morning.

The threat region Saturday extends over a large part of the southeast and includes several metropolitan areas like Montgomery, Alabama, Savannah, Georgia, and Tallahassee, Florida. Strong tornadoes will be possible in southern Alabama and southern Georgia.

Other severe threats, including damaging winds and large hail, are also likely across much of the region.

Any slow-moving storm will have the potential to bring quite a bit of rainfall. A flash flood watch has been issued from eastern Texas to southern Georgia.

Locally, over 4 inches of rain is possible with Saturday's storms across southern Mississippi and southern Georgia.

The weather pattern is looking quite active over the next week. A new storm is moving into the western U.S. Saturday. By Tuesday, some of this unsettled weather will move into the southern and central plains.

This will likely bring the next round of severe weather to parts of the region from Kansas to Texas. While the magnitude of this severe threat remains unknown, ingredients will be in place for organized severe weather on Tuesday.

The next few weeks tend to be an extremely active time for severe weather in the southern plains.

This weather pattern will also spread summer-like warmth to the eastern US, with many parts of the east, including the Northeast, reaching the mid-80s by the middle of the week.