“A powerful Spring storm system will bring a barrage of life-threatening weather including flash flooding and strong tornadoes to portions of the Lower Ohio Valley and Mid-South Wednesday, with the flash flood threat only the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic event. A deepening upper-level trough and accompanying strong low pressure/frontal system over the Plains this morning will push eastward through the Midwest, Mississippi Valley, and southern Plains Wednesday,” says the National Weather Service in a pretty wide-ranging alert posted Wednesday.

“Extremely impressive dynamics given very strong upper-level and lower-level wind fields, as well as a deep influx of boundary layer moisture flowing northward from the Gulf, will help support a broad warm sector featuring widespread, intense thunderstorms stretching from the Great Lakes southwest through the Middle Mississippi/Lower Ohio Valleys, Mid-South, ArkLaTex, and Southern Plains. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has introduced a High Risk (level 5/5) of severe weather across portions of the Mid-South where the most favorable overlap of strong upper- and lower-level shear and instability may lead to an outbreak of tornadoes, including multiple intense tornadoes, as well as very large hail and significant damaging winds. A broader at least Enhanced level (3/5) severe threat covers the rest of the region where a more scattered but still significant threat of tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds exists. Unfortunately, this severe threat will be compounded by the beginning of a life-threatening flash flood event.”

The “5/5 high risk” is extremely rare from the NWS, as in this storm isn’t fucking around.