Rare high risk: Map of the US with shades of color to indicate severe weather, pink is over MS and AL.
NOAA’s Severe Predication Center issued a rare Day 2 high risk of severe weather for Dixie Alley for March 15, 2025. NOAA has only ever issued a rare high risk outlook for Day 2 twice before, in 2006 and 2012, and massive tornado outbreaks followed. Image via NOAA.
NOAA issues rare high risk for storms in the Southeast
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a rare high risk for severe weather for the southeastern U.S., sometimes called Dixie Alley, for March 15, 2025. Parts of Mississippi and Alabama are in the bull’s-eye for strong storms and deadly tornadoes. This is only the third time NOAA has issued a high risk one day out (what it calls the Day 2 outlook).
The last time NOAA issued a Day 2 high risk was in 2012, more than a decade ago. And the other time was in 2006. The storms that sprang to life on these two days became infamous. They generated 47 tornadoes in 2006 and 83 tornadoes in 2012.
The pink region on the map above means that if you are in that area, you have a 30% chance on tornadoes within 25 miles of you. Make your preparations now. Make sure you stay informed of the changing weather situation on Saturday, March 15. And know where you can go for safety if you are in a tornado-warned area.
NOAA’s message
Here is the message from NOAA as of midday on Friday, March 14:
A tornado outbreak is likely on Saturday across the central Gulf Coast States and Deep South into the Tennessee Valley. Numerous significant tornadoes, some of which should be long-track and potentially violent, are expected on Saturday afternoon and evening. The most dangerous tornado threat should begin across eastern Louisiana and Mississippi during the late morning to afternoon, spread across Alabama late day into the evening, and reach western parts of the Florida Panhandle and Georgia Saturday night.
Bottom line: NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a rare high risk outlook for severe weather in the Deep South, especially targeting Mississippi and Alabama, for March 15, 2025.
Via NOAA
Read more: Be a storm spotter and help during severe weather
Kelly Kizer Whitt
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About the Author:
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.