April 18, 2011

With parts of the U.S. still recovering from a destructive and deadly three-day tornado outbreak, a storm system moving from the Rockies to the East Coast may very well spawn another round of tornadoes this week, especially from the Midwest to parts of the Deep South.

There were nearly 250 reported tornadoes last week, with the death toll reaching at least 45 in six states. At least 21 of those deaths were in North Carolina, according to The Associated Press. The first tornadoes hit Thursday in Oklahoma, where two were killed. Officials also reported seven deaths in Arkansas, seven in Alabama, seven in Virginia and one in Mississippi.

The new storm will also produce more late-season snow and flooding as the very stormy April continues across the United States.

The greatest threat for thunderstorms capable of producing wind damage, large hail and tornadoes will be from the Ohio Valley southwestward to the Arkansas-Oklahoma-Texas region from Tuesday into early Wednesday, according to the Storm Prediction Center.