Severe storms with damaging winds to focus on central, eastern US

Severe thunderstorms will extend from from Texas to New England through midweek with hail, potentially damaging wind gusts and flash flooding. A small number of the strongest storms may still produce a brief tornado.

Severe thunderstorms packing damaging wind gusts, hail and localized flash flooding will stretch from Texas to New England through midweek, including major travel hubs along the Interstate 95 corridor. The threat of dangerous storms will be lower compared to the outbreak from Sunday into Monday, but they could still spawn isolated tornadoes, damage property and crops, and cause regional power outages.

Below is a day-by-day breakdown of the severe weather threat zones through Thursday.

Tuesday

The primary area for severe thunderstorms Tuesday into Tuesday evening will stretch along a 1,500-mile swath from the Rio Grande in Texas to Lake Ontario.

Within this broad zone, two concentrated areas face a greater risk of severe weather, including central Texas to central Arkansas, and another pocket from central Indiana into northern Ohio and southeastern Michigan.

In both moderate-risk areas, the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust is 80 mph. Hail as large as golf balls will also be possible with the strongest storms.

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Another batch of thunderstorms is forecast across parts of the Northeast. From north-central Pennsylvania to central Maine, a few storms may approach severe limits with wind gusts of 50-60 mph. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust in this zone is 70 mph.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, two main areas of severe weather are likely.

From New England to the mid-Atlantic, thunderstorms are likely along the Interstate 95 corridor, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia.

Some severe thunderstorms may also extend southwestward into the Interstate 81 corridor of Virginia and eastern Tennessee. The primary threats in this 1,000-mile-long zone will be damaging wind gusts and hail. Downpours may also trigger localized flash flooding, but the rainfall could also provide some drought relief.

Farther to the southwest, another pocket of severe thunderstorms is forecast in West Texas and eastern New Mexico.

Storms in this region may impact Amarillo, Lubbock and Odessa, Texas, along with Tucumcari and Roswell, New Mexico, with golf ball- to baseball-sized hail, wind gusts of 60-70 mph and flooding downpours. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust in this sector on Wednesday is 85 mph.

Thursday

On Thursday, the greatest risk of severe weather will extend from central Texas and Oklahoma to central Arkansas, much of Louisiana and western Mississippi.

The primary threat Thursday will be from flash flooding. A few storms may bring wind gusts of 50-60 mph. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust is 70 mph.

Needed rain versus flash flood risk versus outdoor activities

Looking ahead to Memorial Day weekend, thunderstorms may spread from Alabama and Georgia to the Carolinas, where rainfall could help ease areas of severe to exceptional drought — provided the storms do not disrupt outdoor plans. The main corridor of repeated downpours from midweek into the weekend is expected to extend from Texas and Louisiana to Kentucky.

Rainfall totals from 1 to 4 inches may be high enough over a few hours to several days to trigger flash flooding in urban areas and along small streams.

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