An active to extremely active hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center — a division of the National Weather Service. As with every hurricane season, this outlook underscores the importance of having a hurricane preparedness plan in place.

Expert analysis by NOAA Research and the National Weather Service indicate that there were a total of 312 tornadoes during the entire outbreak from 8 am EDT April 26 to 8 am April 28.

After a review of the damage photos taken during Thursday’s ground survey and in consultation with national experts, the National Weather Service in Memphis, Tenn., has preliminarily upgraded the rating of the Smithville, Miss., tornado to EF5 damage. This is the highest rating for tornado damage and the first F5/EF5 tornado in Mississippi since the Candlestick Park tornado near Jackson on March 3, 1966. It is also only the third tornado to receive a rare EF5 rating since NWS implemented the Enhanced Fujita Scale on February 1, 2007.

NWS Survey teams continue to assess the damage after the major tornado outbreak of historic proportions that impacted portions of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia on Wednesday. Numerous storm surveys were conducted on Thursday, with more planned for Friday.

NWS is sending storm survey teams from our Weather Forecast Offices in Birmingham, Ala.

A major tornado outbreak of historic proportions impacted portions of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia on Wednesday.

NWS Director Jack Hayes reflects on the tragic loss of life and offers some lessons learned from the recent tornado outbreak that hit communities across North Carolina particularly hard. Read his opinion piece, as published in the Raleigh News Observer.

The NWS Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., is forecasting the possibility of severe thunderstorms later today from Texas to the Great Lakes, with the development of tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail later this afternoon through tonight from the Ozarks into parts of the Mississippi and lower Ohio Valleys.

There were 10 reports of tornadoes across the central and southern Plains yesterday. Today the threat of severe weather moves east, as the NWS Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., is forecasting the development of tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds over parts of the South today through tonight

Sunday’s tornado outbreak in Wisconsin produced at least 10 tornadoes, tying the record for the biggest April tornado outbreak in the state, which sees an average of 21 tornadoes per year.