Multiday US severe weather threat to continue into this weekend
Tens of millions of Americans will be at risk of severe weather and damaging thunderstorms through the start of the weekend.
Tens of millions of Americans will be at risk of severe thunderstorms over the course of four consecutive days this week, AccuWeather forecasters say. Residents in areas from the central Plains and the Gulf Coast to the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic could experience storm hazards including flooding, hail and even isolated tornadoes.
The severe weather proved to be destructive and deadly on Wednesday night when a tornado tore through Cole, Oklahoma, located about 30 miles to the south of Oklahoma City. Homes were leveled and at least two people were killed. There were more than a dozen reports of tornadoes from western Iowa to central Oklahoma Wednesday evening and night.
Wind gusts as high as 85 mph were reported in some of the thunderstorms.
AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno had warned that an increase in jet stream energy would mean that severe thunderstorms that developed during the afternoon would maintain their intensity well after dark. "As a result, the severe weather event poses a significant nocturnal threat," Rayno said.
National Weather Service storm crews will be out assessing the damage to confirm the exact number of tornadoes versus high wind incidents in the coming days.
Portions of the central Plains would benefit from any non-flooding rainfall, as water table conditions range from abnormally dry to exceptional drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor.
On Thursday, jet stream energy will tend to decrease somewhat over the Central states as the storm system begins to lift northward across the northern Plains.
However, enough warmth and moisture will persist along an advancing cool front to set off severe thunderstorms from northeastern Texas to southern Wisconsin, including in the metro areas of Chicago, St. Louis and Little Rock, Arkansas. The most likely time for severe thunderstorms to approach the Houston area will be late Thursday night.
The main threats from severe thunderstorms Thursday will be large hail and powerful wind gusts, but a few tornadoes may also develop. The storms Thursday could put more than 50 million people at risk, according to the NWS.
Localized flash flooding is also a possibility from Thursday night to Friday night in urban areas and in poor drainage locations from eastern Texas and Louisiana to western Kentucky and southern Indiana. The flash flood risk zone includes a portion of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas and Missouri.
As a new storm system emerges Friday, atmospheric energy, along with lingering warmth and moisture, will likely cause more severe weather to develop as the storm progresses from the Gulf Coast to portions of the Appalachians, eastern Great Lakes and even the Atlantic coast this weekend.
Severe thunderstorms Friday will most likely form during the afternoon from the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts and spread into southeastern Arkansas, Mississippi, western Tennessee, southern Kentucky and northwestern Alabama Friday evening. Nearly 15 million people may be affected by severe weather on Friday.
"There is some question as to whether the energy and moisture will be released primarily in the form of a period of heavy rain or a round of severe thunderstorms as the system travels northeastward from the Gulf coast this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.
It may end up being a combination of both with some areas targeted by flooding downpours and others hit by thunderstorms with high winds from Saturday to early Sunday. At least 30 million people could be at risk of severe weather conditions for a time Saturday. The severe weather threat on Saturday includes the possibility of tornadoes in a handful of the strongest storms.
Motorists traveling through the southern and central Appalachians Saturday should be prepared for travel delays due to heavy rain, slick roads and poor visibility. Some flooding may occur on roadways.
The same adverse travel impacts from heavy rain and thunderstorms are likely to reach the Atlantic Seaboard, including the zone from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and New York City Saturday night.
Thunder and lightning, along with strong wind gusts and even hail, may accompany some of the downpours. AccuWeather meteorologists will be closely monitoring the potential for a few tornadoes during the storm setup this weekend.
The storm system, with its heavy rain and gusty winds, is likely to move along at a swift pace initially and may spread over large metro areas, such as Atlanta and Charlotte, in a matter of minutes.
The stormy conditions may last several hours for portions of the Southeast, but the system may slow down as it tracks through the Northeast later this weekend. Stormy weather may last much of Saturday night and could linger into Sunday morning around New York City. Much of New England will face unsettled weather Sunday.
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