Severe storms to rattle parts of mid-Atlantic, Appalachians into midweek
A system with a history of producing hail and damaging winds will stall across the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday.
A line of severe thunderstorms swept across the Washington, D.C., area on April 15, but that’s just the start of wet weather forecasted for the Northeast this week.
While the main threat for severe weather will be in the central United States through Tuesday night, gusty to locally severe storms will erupt in parts of the Eastern states into Wednesday evening, AccuWeather meteorologists caution.
Storms erupted along a southward-sagging front that was responsible for dozens of incidents of strong wind gusts and hail from Ohio to Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon and evening. Hail to the size of golf balls and gusts to 60 mph occurred in some of the strongest storms.
Hail of this size can damage vehicles and, when pushed by strong winds, can break windows.
Reports of hail ranging from the size of marbles to golf balls and damaging winds extended from Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula to West Virginia Monday and Monday night.
On Tuesday, the same frontal boundary will weaken but can still trigger locally robust thunderstorms farther to the south and west, when compared to Sunday and Monday.
The area at risk for spotty thunderstorms, of which a small number can become severe will extend from eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia to southwestern Virginia and part of western North Carolina.
This image captured on Tuesday afternoon, Apr. 16, 2024, shows clear skies over the Northeast while a zone of clouds and erupting showers and thunderstorms extended from West Virginia to North Carolina. (AccuWeather Enhanced Real™Vue Satellite)
A push of dry air may keep storms away from northern West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and much of the balance of Virginia. In fact, in much of the zone from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware, the weather will be beautiful for most outdoor plans into Tuesday evening.
At midweek, the front will begin to push back to the northeast across the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic region as a potent storm system travels across the Great Lakes region.
"The combination of the front, surging warmth and moisture will be enough to trigger showers and thunderstorms from western parts of New York, northeastern Ohio, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania to Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty explained. "But, at this time, cloud cover may be a limiting factor against severe weather closer to the mid-Atlantic coast."
However, where the sun emerges and temperatures jump to warm levels, the potential for storms turning severe with strong wind gusts, hail, torrential downpours and perhaps even a couple of tornadoes will increase. AccuWeather's team of meteorologists will be watching the situation closely.
The best chance of severe weather will be in a zone that extends eastward from West Virginia to part of Virginia.
Any thunderstorm, regardless of severity, has the potential to trigger a lightning strike in the immediate vicinity without notice. Experts urge anyone outside to move indoors at the first rumble of thunder.
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