United States

Lightning strikes the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Courtesy of Flickr user Johnia!

An active storm track across the northern half of the nation combined with surging warmth will set the stage for damaging thunderstorms this afternoon.

Two trouble spots have been identified by AccuWeather.com meteorologists: New York state as well as portions of Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.

Gusty Winds, Hail Threaten New York

Thunderstorms will ignite this afternoon across the lower Great Lakes as an advancing cold front clashes with very warm, moist air.

A line of storms should develop in southeastern Ontario or far western New York later this afternoon and progress eastward into the evening hours.

The main threat from these storms will be damaging winds and hail, although an isolated tornado spin-up cannot be ruled out.

Residents in Buffalo, Syracuse, Watertown, Binghamton and Albany, N.Y., along with Burlington, Vt., should keep an eye to the sky this afternoon and evening for approaching bad weather.

After sunset, the severe weather threat will diminish as the storms weaken and push eastward into New England.

In addition to strong winds and hail, the thunderstorms can bring heavy rainfall and frequent lightning. If outdoors, take shelter if you hear thunder.

Hail Producing Storms to Rumble Across Central Plains

A separate storm system will initiate strong thunderstorms from Kansas City, Mo., to Omaha, Neb., today. This batch of storms threatens to bring large hail to places near the Missouri River.

A warm front lifting northward across this region will provide sufficient spin in the atmosphere to aid in the development of powerful storms.

Some locations in this area may experience two rounds of potent thunderstorms. After a morning round of storms, more are expected to develop later this afternoon and evening.

While not all residents in the aforementioned region will see severe weather, locations that do experience large hail could have significant damage from big hailstones.

As with the storms in New York, heavy rain and frequent lightning can accompany the storms in the Plains. Never drive through a flooded roadway and take caution when driving through torrential rainfall that reduces visibility.