[4] For the third time in a three-week period, environmental conditions across the Southeastern United States became favorable for a widespread severe weather and tornado outbreak during the early days of April.

[5] For days, forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center advertised the eastward progression of a broad upper-level trough into the South Plains region.

[3] To the south of this northward-propagating boundary, surface temperatures rose to around 80 °F (27 °C) while rapidly-cooling air aloft led to the development of 1,500–2,000 J/kg mid-level convective available potential energy (CAPE).

With modest advection of warm air and an eroding capping inversion, widespread convective development overspread northwestern Texas and southwestern Oklahoma, with a primary risk of very large hail and damaging wind gusts.

[6][7] Farther southeast in the vicinity of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, forecasters warned of the potential for a higher tornadic threat given an approaching shortwave trough, better northward transport of moisture, and a strengthening of low-level wind fields.

However, with increasing wind fields and deeply moist dew points above 70 °F (21 °C), the SPC anticipated re-intensification of this feature through the afternoon, plus an attendant risk for discrete supercells in advance of the line.

Farther northeast across South Carolina, a south-southwesterly low-level jet up to 50 kn (60 mph; 95 km/h) overspread an unstable and moist environment, leading to the concern for supercells capable of producing strong tornadoes.

[15] Indeed, multiple discrete storms developed ahead of the advancing squall line in the warm sector across eastern Georgia and the South Carolina Lowcountry.

By the evening hours, these cells began to merge with the progressive squall line as it shifted into a more stable air mass and approached the Atlantic coastline.

[19] After the previous days' storms advanced into the Atlantic Ocean, a new severe weather system developed over many of the same areas in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.

This, combined with the presence of upper 60s F dew points and CAPE values of 2000-3000 J/kg, created a highly unstable atmosphere, conductive for severe weather.

Given the favorable parameters for severe weather, the Storm Prediction Center issued a large Enhanced risk area, encompassing areas centered around Georgia, central and northeastern portions of Alabama, eastern Tennessee, extreme western North Carolina, and southern South Carolina.

The outlook highlighted the high probabilities of damaging wind gusts to be the primary threat of the event, but a 10%, unhatched corridor for tornadoes was also situated along central Georgia.

[20] As the evening advanced, destabilization in the area kept growing, and a long chain of thunderstorms developed along a corridor in central and southern Georgia.

[21] As this line segmented on the early evening, multiple supercell thunderstorms developed and matured on the area as they entered the favorable environment in central Georgia.

This large, violent wedge tornado touched down just southwest of Pembroke at 5:18 p.m. EDT (21:18 UTC) and quickly strengthened to EF2 intensity as it moved into town.

Moving east-northeast, the tornado exited the town and maintained EF2 intensity as it crossed over a wooded, marshy area, flattening a swath of trees, destroying an outbuilding, and heavily damaging a house.

Several well-built homes here were destroyed, four of which were leveled, including two that were completely swept away with only their bare concrete slab foundations remaining.

[4] The severe squall line continued to produce wind damage as it moved into southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana early on April 5.

A severe storm east of Kansas City near Pilot Grove, Missouri produced 70–80 miles per hour (110–130 km/h) winds, knocked down power lines on Route 135, and ripped part of the roof off a barn.

[22] Heavy rain from the system also affected the Northeastern United States, forcing the New York Yankees to postpone their home opener against the Boston Red Sox until the next day.