Nearly 30 million at risk for severe weather in the Southeast Wednesday
Major population centers across the Southeast, including Atlanta, could face severe thunderstorms into Wednesday evening that feature strong winds and flooding downpours.
You don’t have to be directly struck by lightning. There are other ways you can get hit, which is why you should never underestimate a thunderstorm.
Heavy rain has drenched portions of the Southeast already this week, but AccuWeather forecasters say that severe thunderstorms are likely to accompany some of the downpours into Wednesday night.
"Thunderstorms are likely to develop over a broad swath of the Southeast, stretching from Virginia to Mississippi," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Johnson-Levine.
A cold front has been stalled over the region for the past several days, serving as a focusing mechanism for showers and thunderstorms. Although that front has weakened considerably since dropping in last week, another will move southeastward, bringing a renewed risk of potent storms from midweek forward to the weekend.
"The greatest threats from severe storms into Wednesday night will be flash flooding and damaging winds, though some small hail may be possible as well," said Johnson-Levine.
Wind gusts of 55-65 mph will be likely, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 80 mph. The zone where storms have the potential to pack the strongest wind gusts will stretch from southeastern Georgia to part of eastern North Carolina.
The highest risk of flooding will be in any areas that have already had multiple rounds of heavy rain this week. However, any individual thunderstorms can contain downpours.
A continuous line of thunderstorms is not expected, so rainfall will not be uniform across the region.
"While one spot may stay dry, intense storms can be ongoing just a few miles away," said Johnson-Levine.
Major highways, including interstates 26, 30, 65, 75 and 95, may all be impacted by storms. This may impact any travel and outdoor plans, and the timing for motorists may not be ideal.
"Due to the timing of these storms, the evening commute may be impacted," noted Johnson-Levine.
Norfolk, Virginia; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Atlanta; and Birmingham, Alabama; are just a few cities at risk for severe weather.
Even where flooding downpours and damaging wind gusts do not occur, every thunderstorm contains dangerous lightning. Sometimes, lightning can even strike far away from a storm and when rain is not falling. If thunder can be heard, the storm is close enough to produce lightning.
The storms are predicted to gradually dissipate after the sun sets Wednesday. However, there could be a few stronger storms once again Thursday and Friday.
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