Storms to rumble through Easter weekend, bringing risk of flooding, damaging winds
Severe storms will impact the eastern U.S. through Easter Sunday, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and flash flooding risks. Storms reach the East Coast, potentially disrupting holiday plans.
A tornado touched down in Downey, Iowa, appearing to cause damage as storm chasers watched it swirl across the landscape.
Outdoor egg hunts across the eastern half of the nation may be in jeopardy, warn AccuWeather meteorologists, as locally damaging and drenching thunderstorms roll east through Easter Sunday.
Lightning over Goodland, Kansas, on Sept. 9, 2025. (AccuWeather/Tony Laubach)
"This multiday stretch of severe weather will bring repeated rounds of storms across the central and eastern U.S. ending on Easter Sunday," said AccuWeather Vice President of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin. "Communities where back-to-back storms track over the same area also face an increased risk of flash flooding."
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Drenching thunderstorms to reach East Coast on Easter
The final day where storms can rumble will be Easter Sunday itself, as the cold front responsible for the stormy weather approaches the Atlantic coastline.
"The risk of storms and downpours will reach the East Coast and Interstate 95 corridor by Easter Sunday," pointed out DePodwin. "Heavy rain, lightning and strong wind gusts could spoil plans for outdoor egg hunts, church services and family gatherings."
While the overall risk of severe weather will be lower as the holiday weekend draws to a close, the risk of disruptions will not. Millions along the interstates 81 and 95 corridors will be affected, especially from the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic states, north to southern New England.
For those attending sunrise services along and east of the I-95 corridor, much of the early-morning hours may be dry before storms arrive before lunchtime. That will not be the case farther west, where rain can be falling to start the day in places such as Charleston, West Virginia; Pittsburgh; and Syracuse, New York.
The heaviest and gustiest storms are expected to unfold late in the day from the eastern Carolinas to Delmarva, where the risk of a few wind gusts above 40 mph will be highest. Winds of this magnitude can toss around outdoor holiday decorations, not to mention any loose bonnets.
Behind the storms and front, quieter weather will return by Monday. Unfortunately for those hoping for an extension of the warmth ahead of the front, it will be replaced by chillier air and even a few snowflakes in the Great Lakes and Northeast.
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