Early Thursday afternoon, unseasonably warm and humid conditions in Southeast Missouri spawned multiple severe thunderstorms and a few tornadoes.
The National Weather Service in Paducah predicted the threat of storms to peak late Thursday evening, with severe thunderstorms continuing to spin up across the region as storms move off to the east part of the region by early Friday morning.
The greatest risk for damaging winds, with large hail and tornadoes, was later in the evening, with frequent lightning and locally heavy rains capable of creating localized flash flooding.
At around 8:30 pm, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Madison and Bollinger counties in Southeast Missouri and later Cape Girardeau County.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch will remain in effect until 2 AM Friday, for portions of Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Southwestern Indiana.