Severe storms to blitz a dozen states Wednesday
Millions of people in the eastern United states are bracing for severe storms and perhaps additional tornadoes into Wednesday evening.
Multiple tornadoes were reported across Illinois on the evening of Feb. 27.
A powerful cold front has marked an end to June-like warmth from the Mississippi Valley and rolling on areas farther to the east at the cost of potentially violent storms that will roar through more than a dozen states into Wednesday, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
The eruption of severe weather, has been on AccuWeather's radar for at least a week due to a potent storm the team has been tracking since it began its journey well out over the Pacific Ocean. As that storm interacts with a strong jet stream, surging Gulf of Mexico moisture and an increasing temperature difference between unusual warmth and February cold, natural fireworks in the form of powerful thunderstorms will unfold.
AccuWeather meteorologists urge people in the path of the storms to pay attention to severe weather bulletins, including signing up for alerts that may precede the messages, such as the AccuWeather App.
Dozens of severe weather incidents, including multiple reports of tornadoes, damaging winds and hail to the size of golf balls, eggs and baseballs, occurred Tuesday night.
After a busy night, the risk of severe thunderstorms will carry over into Wednesday afternoon as the cold front advances to the east and south toward the central and southern Appalachians. The severe weather threat will extend from southern New York state to the northern parts of Alabama and Georgia.
The potential for storms capable of causing property damage and localized power outages on Wednesday is now expected to remain well to the west of New York City and Philadelphia, just to the west of Washington, D.C., but include Charlotte and part of the Atlanta metro area.
The risk of tornadoes for Wednesday is much lower when compared to Tuesday night.
Storms will bring brief downpours as the cold front presses on toward the mid-Atlantic coast. Gusty winds will precede and immediately follow the torrential downpours associated with the front. In some cases, the squally storms may occur without thunder and lightning by the time the storms reach the coast, AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer said.
One of the reasons for the severe weather will be the rapid exchange of warm and cold air. Temperatures more typical of May and early June will precede the cold front, including unusual warmth at night into Tuesday in the Central states and into Wednesday along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
In the minutes and hours after the front moves through, temperatures will plummet by 10-40 degrees and end up near typical February levels. The plunge may occur quickly enough to allow a quick change to snow or wet areas to freeze in some locations.
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