Severe storms to continue to prowl Plains, Midwest and East this week
Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding will threaten parts of the central and eastern US this week, with damaging winds and hail possible from the Plains to the Piedmont.
Storms that caused widespread flooding in Indiana this past weekend pushed through the Ohio Valley and across the East Coast as the week got started.
Pockets of severe weather and heavy rain capable of triggering flash flooding will drift across the central and eastern United States this week, fueled by steamy air.
Each group of storms will bring its own threats, with most expected to remain on the lower end of the intensity spectrum. However, a few storms can become more intense, with damaging winds, hail and even a tornado possible. Flight delays could mount where storms approach major airports.
The risk of flash flooding will be greatest where storms repeatedly track over the same areas or soak already saturated ground. Most severe thunderstorm activity is expected from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time, although some severe storms may occur outside that window.
Storms to hammer the Mississippi Valley on Wednesday
The severe thunderstorm threat will shift back to the Mississippi Valley on Wednesday, from northern Arkansas and southern Missouri to far western Kentucky.
Storms in this area may produce flash flooding, hail, damaging wind gusts and even a few tornadoes. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ for wind gusts on Wednesday is 80 mph.
Thursday severe storm risk to include Nashville, Philadelphia
The severe weather risk is expected to shift back into the eastern United States on Thursday afternoon and evening. Storms may turn severe from northern Mississippi and Alabama through Tennessee and eastern Kentucky, eastward through northeastern North Carolina, Virginia, the Delmarva, southeastern Pennsylvania and much of New Jersey.
The main threats will be damaging wind gusts and localized flash flooding. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ for wind gusts on Thursday is 75 mph.
Another pocket of severe thunderstorms may also develop over part of the Midwest on Thursday, extending from central Nebraska to central Minnesota. Hail, flooding downpours and localized damaging wind gusts will be the primary threats.
Friday storms to linger along Atlantic Coast, return to the Midwest and Plains
Some risk of severe thunderstorms will exist on Friday from southeastern Virginia to the central and coastal areas of the Carolinas.
These storms will bring torrential downpours capable of producing flash flooding and locally damaging wind gusts.
An additional risk of severe thunderstorms will exist across central Nebraska and northern Kansas, then into northern Illinois and central Wisconsin, on Friday. Flooding downpours, hail and localized damaging wind gusts will be the main hazards, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 85 mph.
Beyond Friday
A cooler change in weather is forecast from the Midwest to the East this weekend, but the focal point of the severe weather will depend on exactly when and how the surge of less humid air arrives.
One scenario involves a major outbreak of autumnlike air that could trigger waterspouts over the Great Lakes. Another scenario features a less-pronounced push of cool air and a slow-moving front that could bring severe thunderstorms and problematic heavy rain from the Appalachians to the Atlantic Seaboard late this week and into the weekend.
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