Thundery downpours, severe storms to aggravate eastern and central U.S.
A stormy weekend is in the offing across the central and eastern U.S., with severe weather and flash flooding disrupting travel and outdoor plans.
Severe storms flooded homes in St. Catharines, Ontario, on Aug. 2 after more than 5 inches of rain overwhelmed roads and stormwater systems, prompting a state of emergency declaration.
An active pattern will bring severe thunderstorms and flash flooding to parts of the central and eastern United States, threatening outdoor plans through the weekend.
"The steamy air sticking around will help provide fuel for the storms," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "Weak fronts and the edges of high pressure will help focus the storms, allowing some to become severe or produce torrential downpours."
Summer downpours may cause flash flooding and travel disruptions, while clusters of thunderstorms will become severe enough to bring damaging winds and frequent lightning strikes.
Storms to rattle parts of Plains, Mississippi Valley into Thursday night
A pocket of heavy to severe thunderstorms will focus on an area from central and southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma to central and southern Missouri and northern Arkansas into Thursday night.
Along with flash flooding and locally damaging wind gusts, a few storms may produce large hail capable of damaging maturing crops.
Locally severe storms to affect the Midwest, East on Friday
Two main pockets of severe thunderstorms are forecast on Friday: one in the Midwest and another in the East.
A corridor of severe thunderstorms is expected Friday afternoon and evening from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to central and eastern Iowa and part of northwestern Illinois.
The main threats will be due to flash flooding and damaging wind gusts, similar to some of the storms expected on Thursday over portions of the Plains. Hail large enough to damage crops will also be a concern in localized areas.
Farther east, another area of severe thunderstorms is expected Friday afternoon and evening across a heavily populated corridor. Along with potentially throwing a wrench into weekend travel and outdoor plans, some of the storms could be intense.
People in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., all face a severe weather threat as the week comes to a close.
The main dangers will be flash flooding and damaging wind gusts, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust of 70 mph.
Complexes of storms may unfold in north-central U.S. this weekend
After Friday's storms, the overall severe weather threat should diminish somewhat across the Northeast this weekend. However, the pattern may evolve across parts of the Plains and Midwest to favor long-lived thunderstorm complexes capable of producing widespread damaging winds.
Saturday night, thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds will extend from western Nebraska to northern Kansas, northern and central Missouri, much of Iowa and west-central Illinois.
On Sunday and Sunday night, a similar threat may develop farther to the north over the Plains and the Upper Midwest.
Storms to drench Southeast states through this weekend
As clockwise circulation strengthens around an area of high pressure centered just offshore in the western Atlantic, increasing moisture will lead to rounds of drenching and locally gusty thunderstorms from Florida to Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and eastern Tennessee through this weekend.
Several inches of rain may pour down in parts of the region over the next one to four days. While the rain may ease drought conditions in parts of Florida and southern Georgia, it could also trigger flash flooding.
Desert storms may pack a punch into this weekend
Storms in the deserts are often dismissed as they occur in sparsely populated areas. However, they can pose significant dangers, and storms this weekend will be no exception.
Many of the storms will produce little rainfall but generate locally strong wind gusts and frequent lightning as they rapidly develop during the afternoon before losing intensity during the evening. The winds may also kick up large dust storms, otherwise known as haboobs.
One area where storms could become especially strong Friday afternoon and evening is across parts of Arizona and New Mexico.
Storms in this zone on Friday will bring a heightened risk of flash flooding and damaging wind gusts with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ gust of 85 mph.
"Where little rain occurs or before the onset of downpours, gusty winds can raise large dust storms that disrupt travel," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger said. "The Phoenix area experienced a dust storm on Wednesday night while on the edge of a thunderstorm."
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