Daily threat of severe storms to extend into Memorial Day weekend
Pockets of severe weather will affect areas in the northeast, southeast and central United States through the Memorial Day weekend.
AccuWeather’s Jon Porter reports estimated damage and economic losses from the central U.S. tornado outbreak totaling between $9 billion and $11 billion as the peak of severe weather season looms.
While no major outbreaks of severe weather are anticipated through Memorial Day, localized severe weather can still occur in various parts of the nation on a daily basis. AccuWeather has the details on where and when people should pay close attention to potentially dangerous weather conditions.
Storms to rattle part of interior Northeast Wednesday
On the back side of a developing nor'easter that will bring drenching rain to New England and parts of the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians, thunderstorms will erupt into Wednesday evening.
The greatest risk for storms with high winds, hail and torrential downpours into Wednesday evening will be from central Ohio to southwestern Pennsylvania and northwestern West Virginia. Some of the stronger storms in this area can trigger tornadoes.
Farther to the north and east in the Northeast, the air will be too cool and cloudy to support thunderstorms.
Southeast storms to settle toward Florida into Friday
The tail end of the front that produced more than a thousand incidents of severe weather, including dozens of tornadoes, since late last week, will push offshore of much of the Southeast by Wednesday night.
However, before it does, thunderstorms will be a bit feisty in eastern North Carolina, as well as northern Florida on west to southeastern Louisiana.
While there could be a couple of tornadoes in either zone, the main threat will be from high wind gusts, hail and flooding downpours.
"As the tail end of that same front creeps southward over the Florida Peninsula, combined with a sea breeze from the Atlantic, a few robust thunderstorms can occur from east-central Florida Thursday to southeastern Florida on Friday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said, "Many Florida storms tend to pack a punch, but these could be locally severe with strong wind gusts, in addition to the usual, frequent lightning strikes and flooding downpours."
Occasionally, potent Florida thunderstorms can produce a tornado or waterspout. The storms will tend to form near the beaches during the morning, then drift inland during the midday and afternoon.
"It's possible a storm may wander close to the Orlando theme parks," Dombek said.
More severe storms anticipated for parts of Plains states
Farther west, severe weather is forecast on a daily basis across portions of the Plains states.
During Wednesday night, a zone of thunderstorms will stretch from the central Plains to the middle part of the Mississippi Valley. Storms packing high winds, hail and torrential downpours are in store from southeastern Kansas to middle Tennessee and northwest Alabama.
The main threats from storms over the central and southern Plains from Thursday to Friday will be due to large hail and damaging wind gusts.
On Thursday afternoon and night, the storms will tend to focus mostly from central Texas, northward to much of southern Oklahoma. Cities that may experience severe weather Thursday evening include Dallas, San Antonio, Texas, as well as Lawton, Oklahoma.
From late Friday to Friday night, the area most likely to experience severe thunderstorms will shift northwestward and include areas from northwest Texas to western and central Nebraska. Cities that could experience severe weather Friday evening include Amarillo, Texas; Wichita and Topeka, Kansas; North Platte, Nebraska; and Oklahoma City.
During the weekend, the main risk of severe weather will begin to expand and then shift slowly eastward over the South Central states.
On Saturday, the likelihood of at least locally severe thunderstorms will extend from the western portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, as well as eastern Colorado to southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas.
The risk of tornadoes will increase Saturday, as some of the storms are expected to pack damaging hail and high winds.
On Sunday, the severe weather threat zone will begin to push eastward more directly and will be centered on the lower Mississippi Valley. The severe weather risk will extend from north-central Texas to south-central Kansas, eastward to parts of middle Tennessee and northern Alabama.
Due to the repetitive nature of some of the thunderstorm downpours, the risk of flash flooding will increase daily from parts of the southern Plains to the lower part of the Mississippi Valley with the Ozark Mountains—a popular vacation and camping destination.
Those outdoors should use extreme caution as storms brew due to the risk of lightning strikes. Campers should avoid setting up along small streams that could be prone to flash flooding. A downpour less than a mile upstream could produce a wall of water that quickly inundates low-lying areas.
On Memorial Day, the risk of severe thunderstorms will focus over the Southeastern states from near the lower part of the Mississippi River to Georgia and the Carolinas.
The storms could directly affect outdoor activities Monday in cities such as New Orleans, Atlanta and Charlotte.
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