US weather: Hurricane-powered belt of thunderstorms threatens to bring deluge and tornadoes

It quickly weakened before ploughing tropical energy into the atmosphere, already unstable after weeks of heatwave temperatures.

Its volatile remnants threaten to ignite a spate of thunderstorms across southern states starting with Texas before moving eastwards.

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Florida could be in the firing line by the end of the week as the ex-tropical storm joins forces with storm systems already plaguing the region.

Jim Dale, US weather correspondent for British Weather Services, said: “This storm intensified very quickly indeed, and in this respect, it is almost unique.

“It is likely to move first across Mexico, and then across Texas with strengthening winds and the potential to offload a lot of rainfall.

“After making landfall with Mexico, there is going to be some overspill from this storm system across the southern United States.”

Tropical energy carried by the storm will supercharge explosive atmospheric conditions left behind from the heatwave.

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Temperatures through the past weeks across swaths of southern America have soared relentlessly into the 100Fs.

Moist, warm air from the eastern Pacific will dish up the ingredients for a turbulent week of storms and possibly tornadoes, Mr Dale warned.

It could make its way to the other side of the country under attack from low-pressure systems supercharged by the Atlantic hurricane system.

He said: “Lidia is carrying a lot of moisture, and this will come into Texas and across southern states including Louisiana and Alabama.

“This could trigger intense rainfall and thunderstorms, and with these will come the risk of tornadoes.

“We could even see the effect of this reach Florida and amalgamate with the thunderstorm activity they are already getting from the remains of Tropical Storm Philippe.

“It is safe to say that for the next few days and into the weekend this part of the United States is looking at a miserable period of weather.”

The US National Hurricane Centre (NOAA) this week said “extremely dangerous’ Lidia had arrived in west-central Mexico with ‘life-threatening’ winds.

The centre of the storm reached 140mph on Tuesday around 35 miles south of the holiday town Puerto Vallarta.

It was the second storm to hit Mexico this week after Max crashed into the country just after the weekend.

Heavy rain poised to drench swathes of southern America has prompted warnings for people getting in the Halloween spirit to take down decorations.

Weather Channel meteorologist Domenica Davis said: “The big story down to the south is going to be the rain that is going to be over the Gulf coast over the next couple of days, and not just rain, but wind and the possibility of severe weather, especially for Florida.

“This is all tropical moisture that is going to be streaming in from the west and the south.

“So, for those of you who have your Halloween decorations set up outside, you may want to bring them in.”

Weather Channel meteorologist Chris Dolce added: “A low has merged with a front in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The low in the Gulf is now part of a front, meaning it will not become a tropical cyclone.

“The front and low will combine with tropical moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Lidia, which made landfall on the west coast of Mexico Tuesday, to bring soaking rain to the South.”