Early autumn severe storms to focus on Atlantic Seaboard
A clash of cold air and warm, humid weather will set off rounds of severe thunderstorms from Alabama and Georgia to New England into Thursday night. A few tornadoes could form.
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As a front separating air cold enough for snow in the Rockies collides with humid air the East, rounds of gusty and severe thunderstorms and periods of heavy rain will erupt prior to the end of the week, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Severe weather often increases in autumn following the late-summer lull in thunderstorm activity, as the jet stream strengthens and warm and humid air flows from the Gulf.
In addition to heavy rain, the main threats in severe storms will be lightning strikes, powerful wind gusts, and hail. A few tornadoes are possible through the end of the week in the most intense storms.
The threat of severe weather will extend across portions of the Interstate 85 and 95 corridors of the East into Thursday night.
Some of the strongest thunderstorms are forecast from New Jersey and southeastern New York ato the southern parts of Georgia and Alabama. There is the potential for a few brief tornadoes to develop in some of the strongest storms.
There will be locally heavy and gusty thunderstorms in parts of New England as well.
The storms into Thursday night could affect the commute and flights in the major hubs from Atlanta and Charlotte to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.
Drier air is forecast to push across the interior Northeast Friday, but spotty showers may persist. Closer to the upper mid-Atlantic and New England coasts, there could be another round of gusty thunderstorms.
Moisture will linger in the Southeast and could result in scattered showers and thunderstorms from Florida to the Carolinas and Mississippi. The lingering downpours in the Southeast could be an omen for trouble in the Northeast over the weekend.
AccuWeather meteorologists are expecting a frenzy of tropical activity in the zone from the Bahamas to Bermuda and the southern Atlantic coast starting this weekend and lasting into next week. There is the potential for either indirect or direct impacts ranging from rain, wind and rough seas, depending on the proximity to the U.S. coast.
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