Baseball-sized hail is pounding parts of Southeast Texas this afternoon as a powerful line of severe thunderstorms sweeps across the region, prompting urgent warnings from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials.

Any storms that develop could impact a populated and expansive area. The SPC designated a "Slight" risk zone for severe thunderstorms across parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, the Great Lakes area, and from the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles into northern Texas.

Severe weather threatens the Austin area beginning Friday afternoon. Storms could produce hail, damaging wind gusts, flooding and an isolated tornado.