Rounds of severe storms to impact Central, East US
A pattern featuring waves of rain and thunderstorms will plague locations from Texas to southern New England over the upcoming days, AccuWeather forecasters warn.
Severe thunderstorms rumbled across hundreds of miles on May 2, hitting parts of the Gulf Coast especially hard.
While the saying goes “April showers will bring May flowers,” AccuWeather forecasters warn that the first full week of May will feature its fair share of showers and thunderstorms across the Central and eastern U.S. A common springtime pattern with rounds of storms will continue to grip locations from the South Central states to the Northeast in the upcoming days, harboring a daily threat for severe weather.
“A pair of sprawling storms over the United States this weekend and into early this upcoming week will act as the catalyst for both a risk for severe thunderstorms and flooding rainfall,” explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
Weekend severe threat
“While thunderstorms could trigger localized damage in parts of the East, the rain is much needed due to the growing drought concerns. That being said, heavy rain rates in thunderstorms will trigger ponding of water in poor drainage areas, so motorists are advised to use caution,” noted AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill.
The soaking pattern will continue across the East through the end of the weekend with the best chance for impactful thunderstorms along portions of the Eastern Seaboard and mid-Atlantic states. Cities from Savannah, Georgia, to State College, Pennsylvania, will face some risk for potent thunderstorms that could produce gusty winds on the order of 50 to 60 mph along with flooding downpours.
The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ for wind Sunday evening and night is 70 mph.
“A storm centered over the Ohio Valley has become cut off from the main jet stream flow, resulting in very slow-forward movement of the storm over the next day or so. As a result, a multi-day feed of moisture will funnel into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast which can produce locally heavy rainfall and even a few strong, to severe thunderstorms across the region through early next week," warned Buckingham.
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Buckingham added that damaging winds, hail and localized flooding will be the main concerns over the upcoming stretch of days as the parent storm system slowly swirls overhead.
Severe threat to persist early week
The risk for impactful storms will not cease early week, forecasters say. As a storm becomes more organized across the Central U.S., it will spark yet another wave of rain and robust thunderstorms across the region.
"A powerful spring storm crashing into the West Coast will feature a risk for severe weather as it moves inland early in the upcoming week. This storm will be able to tap into ample available moisture out of the Gulf, and prompt a risk for both flooding and severe thunderstorms from Texas to the central Gulf Coast," added Buckingham.
"Many of these areas across Texas and the Gulf Coast have experienced heavy rainfall in recent days and weeks, so flash flooding and even river flooding will be possible," noted Buckingham.
Portions of West Texas will be at risk for large hailstones within storms that develop late on Monday, some of which could have diameters upwards of 2.5 inches, equivalent to the size of a tennis ball.
Travelers along interstates 10 and 20 in western and central Texas could face travel delays as storms ignite across the region. The threat of gusty crosswinds and even isolated tornadoes will grow as the evening continues.
By Tuesday, a heavy rain and thunderstorm pattern will impact locations across central and eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma into Arkansas and Louisiana. While storms can also produce intense winds, hail and isolated tornadoes, the risk of flash flooding will be at the forefront from Tuesday to Tuesday night.
Rainfall rates within the most intense storms could briefly exceed 1-2 inches per hour, forecasters warn.
As the middle to latter half of the week goes on, additional showers and thunderstorms can develop across the Central and Southeast U.S. The risk for localized flooding will linger, especially in parts of eastern Texas and along the Gulf Coast, as repeat rounds of storms drench the region.
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