Severe thunderstorms to precede cooldown across Northeast
AccuWeather meteorologists say that tens of millions of residents in the Northeast will be at risk of severe weather into Tuesday evening.
The weather will turn combustible in the region as a large pocket of warm and humid air collides with an approaching cold front. This same front caused wind damage around Chicago on Monday and knocked out power to more than 600,000 customers when storms rolled through Michigan.
A few storms produced wind damage on Monday as far east as western portions of New York and Pennsylvania. The threat will expand and spread eastward into Tuesday evening, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Severe storms will be possible from central and southern Virginia, northward to New England and the southern part of the Canadian province of Quebec, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Johnson-Levine.
Thunderstorms rumbled across portions of Ohio and Kentucky, Tuesday morning. However, the heating of the day will help the thunderstorms gain strength as they move eastward into the evening hours. In addition, new thunderstorms may develop ahead of the original line.
"Like on Monday, damaging winds will be the primary threat from storms into Tuesday evening," said Johnson-Levine.
Heavy rain could fall even as the storms track through the region fairly quickly. With storms also forming before the main line arrives, multiple storms could dump downpours in some locations.
Some highly populated cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C, have been included in Tuesday's risk area. Overall, more than 30 million people live in the population area that forecasters have highlighted for severe weather danger into the evening hours.
Due to storms starting up in the late afternoon hours, a ground stop was issued for some arriving flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, as well as at Philadelphia International Airport.
"In urban areas, where the ground cannot easily soak in any runoff, flash flooding cannot be ruled out," said Johnson-Levine.
By the time the storms get farther to the east, the sun will be setting, and that will allow the storms to lose some of their potency.
"After sundown, storms should quickly weaken as they approach New York City with a much lower severe threat," said Johnson-Levine.
On Wednesday, showers and thunderstorms will linger in New England. A few of the storms in Maine may contain some downpours and gusty winds, but the severe threat will be low.
In the wake of the cold front, the entire Northeast will undergo a substantial cooldown as September officially arrives.
"Parts of upstate New York and northern New England may only have high temperatures in the 60s F on Thursday, with the cooler spots having low temperatures in the 40s," said Johnson-Levine.
Friday will be another rather comfortable day, but temperatures are forecast to surge to above-average levels again to begin the holiday weekend.
High temperatures during Labor Day weekend around Washington, D.C., will settle in the upper 80s and low 90s. In Philadelphia, highs are forecast to hover near 90 F Saturday, and the forecast high of 93 F on Sunday could tie the daily record last set in 2018.
Slightly cooler conditions are expected in New York City. Temperatures in the Big Apple will range from the low 80s Saturday, to the upper 80s on Sunday. In Boston, temperatures will shift from the mid-70s on Friday to the mid-to upper 80s on Saturday and Sunday.
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