Severe storms to rattle Northeast amid July-like warmth
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Sep 15, 2021 3:59 PM EST
AccuWeather forecasters say that a cold front slicing into warm and humid air will be the catalyst that fuels the development of severe thunderstorms in the northeastern United States Wednesday.
Highly disruptive weather has been common across the Northeast over the last month in the Northeast, and, oddly enough, many of these weather events occurred on Wednesdays. Tropical Rainstorm Ida brought disastrous flooding and tornadoes to the region at the start of September, while flooding from Tropical Rainstorm Fred wreaked havoc on Aug. 18. In between, there were various rounds of severe thunderstorms that tracked through the region and produced damage in spots as well.
After a fall preview in the Northeast at the end of last week, heat and humidity more reminiscent of July have been in place in parts of the Northeast over the last few days.
New York City surged into the mid-80s F on Wednesday afternoon, which was the warmest it has been since late August. This time of year, normal highs in the Big Apple fall at the rate of about a degree every three days. To have the highest temperature of the month in the middle of September is somewhat unusual, forecasters say.
Farther south, Philadelphia climbed to near 90, which has not yet happened this September. Normally, the City of Brotherly Love only reaches 79 degrees on Sept. 15.
With high humidity, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will feel even higher than what the thermometer reads.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"The lifting of unusually warm and humid air will result in numerous heavy and gusty thunderstorms," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski said.
While much of the Northeast will have a risk of thunderstorms Wednesday, some areas will be more likely than others to potentially experience strong or severe thunderstorms.
"The storms will manage to rake upstate New York and New England Wednesday afternoon and evening," said Babinski.
Babinski added that locations such as southern Vermont, New Hampshire and much of southern Maine will be the most likely areas to have a risk of isolated tornadoes.
Meanwhile, while the tornado risk is lower farther to the south and west, other hazards will be present, including gusty winds, heavy rain and even small hail.
According to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, more than 11 million residents are facing a slight risk for severe weather on Wednesday. Cities such as Springfield, Massachusetts; Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire; Albany, New York; and Scranton, Pennsylvania, are just some of the locations at risk for severe thunderstorms.
Anyone traveling along interstates 80, 81, 84, 89 and 91 will need to be aware of rapidly changing weather conditions. Roadways could become flooded or littered with debris from storm damage in some cases.
The front may slow down in the vicinity of the Interstate 95 corridor Thursday, and thunderstorms may develop. However, severe weather is not expected. That said, any thunderstorms that do form Thursday could contain heavy rain that could cause isolated instances of flooding.
Despite the cold frontal passage, above-normal temperatures are expected to return for the final weekend of summer. Temperatures on both Saturday and Sunday are likely to be similar, but the humidity may be a bit lower Sunday. Fall officially begins on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 3:21 p.m. EDT.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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News / Severe Weather
Severe storms to rattle Northeast amid July-like warmth
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Sep 15, 2021 3:59 PM EST
AccuWeather forecasters say that a cold front slicing into warm and humid air will be the catalyst that fuels the development of severe thunderstorms in the northeastern United States Wednesday.
Highly disruptive weather has been common across the Northeast over the last month in the Northeast, and, oddly enough, many of these weather events occurred on Wednesdays. Tropical Rainstorm Ida brought disastrous flooding and tornadoes to the region at the start of September, while flooding from Tropical Rainstorm Fred wreaked havoc on Aug. 18. In between, there were various rounds of severe thunderstorms that tracked through the region and produced damage in spots as well.
After a fall preview in the Northeast at the end of last week, heat and humidity more reminiscent of July have been in place in parts of the Northeast over the last few days.
New York City surged into the mid-80s F on Wednesday afternoon, which was the warmest it has been since late August. This time of year, normal highs in the Big Apple fall at the rate of about a degree every three days. To have the highest temperature of the month in the middle of September is somewhat unusual, forecasters say.
Farther south, Philadelphia climbed to near 90, which has not yet happened this September. Normally, the City of Brotherly Love only reaches 79 degrees on Sept. 15.
With high humidity, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will feel even higher than what the thermometer reads.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"The lifting of unusually warm and humid air will result in numerous heavy and gusty thunderstorms," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski said.
While much of the Northeast will have a risk of thunderstorms Wednesday, some areas will be more likely than others to potentially experience strong or severe thunderstorms.
"The storms will manage to rake upstate New York and New England Wednesday afternoon and evening," said Babinski.
Babinski added that locations such as southern Vermont, New Hampshire and much of southern Maine will be the most likely areas to have a risk of isolated tornadoes.
Meanwhile, while the tornado risk is lower farther to the south and west, other hazards will be present, including gusty winds, heavy rain and even small hail.
According to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, more than 11 million residents are facing a slight risk for severe weather on Wednesday. Cities such as Springfield, Massachusetts; Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire; Albany, New York; and Scranton, Pennsylvania, are just some of the locations at risk for severe thunderstorms.
Anyone traveling along interstates 80, 81, 84, 89 and 91 will need to be aware of rapidly changing weather conditions. Roadways could become flooded or littered with debris from storm damage in some cases.
The front may slow down in the vicinity of the Interstate 95 corridor Thursday, and thunderstorms may develop. However, severe weather is not expected. That said, any thunderstorms that do form Thursday could contain heavy rain that could cause isolated instances of flooding.
Despite the cold frontal passage, above-normal temperatures are expected to return for the final weekend of summer. Temperatures on both Saturday and Sunday are likely to be similar, but the humidity may be a bit lower Sunday. Fall officially begins on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 3:21 p.m. EDT.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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