Wind Advisory in effect; severe storms possible Saturday night and Sunday morning

We're still on track to see ugly weather tonight and tomorrow, although the really nasty stuff is now projected to strike east of Cape Girardeau.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory starting 8 AM tomorrow for gusty winds. The advisory states, "SOUTH WINDS WILL AVERAGE 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 TO 50 MPH AT TIMES. THESE WILL BE THE REGULAR GRADIENT WINDS OCCURRING WITHOUT THE AID OF A THUNDERSTORM."

The real threat, however, is the winds that might be produced with the aid of a thunderstorm. The Storm Prediction Center has added our region to the Slight Risk zone for tonight.

According to the latest SPC outlook, Southeast Missouri could see "SUPERCELLS WITH LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE" during the overnight or early morning hours. They also advise that "A THREAT FOR TORNADOES CAN NOT BE RULED OUT"; their chart shows a 5% chance that a tornado will touch down within 25 miles.

For later in the day tomorrow, Southeast Missouri is still barely within the Slight Risk zone, although the cold front will be racing through quickly, pushing the severe storms out of here. The worst weather is forecast to develop to the east, with Indiana, Ohio, and portions of surrounding states under a Moderate Risk.