Pair of cross-country storms to bring rain, snow and severe weather threat to millions by late week

Two cross-country storms are expected to bring rain to millions across more than 30 states beginning Thursday, packing a severe weather threat for the Deep South and the potential for snow from the higher elevations of the Four Corners through the Central Plains and Upper Midwest.

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Computer forecast models are in stronger agreement that two distinct areas of low pressure will move out of the southern Rockies, back-to-back, beginning Thursday, after forecasts earlier in the week called for just one cross-country storm.

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The first storm will race out of the Southwest on Thursday and is expected to bring rain across much of the Southern Plains, including Oklahoma and North Texas on Thursday. A low-level severe thunderstorm threat covers that same area and extends into Arkansas and southern Missouri Wednesday night into Thursday.

Snow showers will be possible across the higher elevations in parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona Thursday.

As this first storm sprints east, a widespread area of rain will cover much of the Midwest, Mississippi and Tennessee valleys beginning Thursday afternoon. A low-end flash flood threat covers Chicagoland in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Meanwhile, a cold front associated with the first storm will move into the Deep South Friday, sparking the potential for more significant severe weather.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms for an area covering the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, including parts of Missouri, west Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

This covers Memphis, Tennessee, Jackson, Mississippi and Alexandria, Louisiana. These storms could be capable of generating damaging wind gusts, hail and possibly tornadoes.

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On Friday, the second storm will develop once again in the Four Corners and move out of the southern Rockies, bringing another round of rain to much of the same places as the first storm in the Midwest, and in the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys.

NOAA's Weather Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 4 threat of flash flooding for Middle Tennessee and northwestern Alabama. Both the Nashville, Tennessee and Huntsville, Alabama metro areas are under this Level 2 threat. 

Rain from the first storm will arrive in the Northeast and New England, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston sometime Friday morning.

Rain is expected to linger across the Southeast Saturday morning as the second storm shifts into the Great Lakes region by the afternoon. 

Gusty winds and snow are expected Saturday across Wisconsin, Michigan, northern Illinois and northern Indiana, as well as the eastern shores off Lakes Erie and Ontario.

RECORD HIGHS POSSIBLE AS MILLIONS EXPERIENCE SURGE IN WINTER WARMTH ACROSS SOUTHERN PLAINS TO MID-ATLANTIC

Showers and thunderstorms are expected across much of the Northeast and New England coasts through Saturday.

Conditions across the U.S. are expected to improve by late Sunday, with most areas drying out by the start of the new week.