Thursday is the day to prepare for what's expected to be a wild and potentially dangerous Friday weatherwise across a large swath of the central U.S.
Forecasters are warning of an outbreak of severe weather Friday afternoon and evening in at least 12 states from the Upper Midwest to the Deep South: "Intense, damaging gusts and several tornadoes (some strong and long-track) are expected," the Storm Prediction Center said.
Tens of millions of people live where the high winds and tornadoes are possible: Big cities in the highest danger areas include Nashville, Memphis, St. Louis, Des Moines and Little Rock.
The storms will be fast-moving, so there won't be much time to react to warnings, forecasters said. "Now's the time to start preparing," said Storm Prediction Center warning coordination meteorologist Matt Elliott.