Wildfire smoke may follow storms, severe weather in eastern US
Rounds of thunderstorms will continue across the Eastern US through the weekend continuing to raise flooding concerns and damaging winds. Canadian wildfire smoke to return by early week.
AccuWeather’s Bernie Rayno and Joe Lundberg look ahead to next week’s weather. The Plains and Midwest can expect more severe storms, while the East will have cooler weather.
An active pattern for thunderstorms will continue across portions of the Eastern United States, producing damaging wind gusts and flooding, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The combination of lingering moisture and daytime heating will allow spotty thunderstorms to develop over the East on Saturday. A front approaching from the West will promote more widespread thunderstorms and the risk of severe weather across the region on Sunday and into the start of the new week. Thunderstorms that develop can be slow-moving in nature, unloading immense rainfall and raising the risk of flooding.
"One issue with storms in the summertime is when they erupt, they can grow skyward and move very slowly at the same time--just like they do in tropical rainforests or jungles. This has the potential to unload a tremendous amount of rain," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Individuals from the Carolinas to New England are urged to monitor the weather over the coming days and have many ways to receive warnings and be aware of the quickest means to get to safety.
Severe risk to focus across the East
As the front slowly makes its way across the East, it will interact with warm, moist air, promoting the risk of severe thunderstorms both on Sunday and Monday.
The zone where severe thunderstorms are expected on Sunday will stretch from far eastern Oklahoma into western New York. Hazards, including hail, localized damaging wind gusts and flooding, can occur in any thunderstorm.
Those traveling on the road or in the air, including along interstates 40, 80 and 81, will need to prepare for potential delays due to thunderstorms.
By Monday, the risk will shift east, focusing on the area from North Carolina into far western Maine. Localized damaging wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour and flooding will again be the main hazards of concern.
Thunderstorms are expected to impact portions of the I-95 corridor, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City during the evening commute, which can slow travel.
Smoke slated to return to the East next week
Smoke from ongoing Canadian wildfires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba will be ushered into the Midwest and Great Lakes regions through the weekend, causing a hazy sky and air quality alerts in the thickest smoke.
The same front that will spark severe thunderstorms into early week will steer the smoke farther east into portions of the Northeast by the beginning of the week.
The thickest smoke is expected to be concentrated from upstate New York through western Maine and into parts of Canada, including Ottawa and Montreal. In this zone, air quality can be reduced, resulting in potentially hazardous conditions for susceptible populations such as the elderly and those with respiratory ailments. Individuals are encouraged to avoid spending large amounts of time outside and take breaks often.
Haze can be noticeable in the sky elsewhere across the Northeast, reaching as far south as Philadelphia and Baltimore. Smoke in the atmosphere can enhance sunrises and sunsets, providing more vibrant colors.
AccuWeather Forecast Intern Julia Angerman contributed content to this article.
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