Severe weather shifts southeast into midweek
Severe weather shifts southeast into Tuesday before drenching storms reach the East midweek
Extreme meteorologist Dr. Reed Timmer reports from southern Illinois as storms begin firing up on a day that could lead to dangerous tornadoes.
After severe thunderstorms peaked with a high risk Monday in the Midwest, the threat for severe weather will shift southeast and begin to tone down through midweek.
Severe weather broke out across the Midwest Monday, bringing large hail, damaging wind gusts, tornadoes and flash flooding. As of Tuesday morning, there have been around 280 preliminary, filtered reports of severe weather from Monday and Monday night, but that number will likely increase, along with the number of tornado reports, as damage is assessed through the week.
AccuWeather’s severe weather classification is impact-driven and differs from the Storm Prediction Center’s system, with a focus on clarity for the general public.
Tuesday's severe weather threat shifts southeastward in the central US
More severe thunderstorms are anticipated Tuesday from Kentucky to central Texas. Severe storms from Monday night will persist into Tuesday morning, while daytime heating will trigger new thunderstorms that may become severe by midday and afternoon.
All modes of severe weather are possible from Tuesday to Tuesday night, ranging from damaging winds and large hail to a few tornadoes. Downpours, while needed in the region due to areas of drought, can also lead to urban flooding.
"A large part of Arkansas, including Little Rock, could be a focal point for discrete supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes Tuesday afternoon and evening," AccuWeather Director of Forecasting Operations Carl Erickson said.
Heavy, gusty and locally severe storms shift south and east Wednesday
The potential for widespread severe weather will ease by the middle of the week. The storm and its trailing cold front will produce a zone of steady, drenching rain from Pennsylvania and New Jersey northward into New England and parts of Ontario and Quebec. Farther south from Maryland and West Virginia to the Carolinas, a few severe thunderstorms are forecast. While hail and localized damaging winds will be the main threats, a brief tornado or two cannot be ruled out.
Farther to the southwest, another pocket of heavy and gusty to locally severe thunderstorms will congregate from southwestern Georgia and northern Florida to Del Rio, Texas, Wednesday.
Downpours will help ease long-term drought conditions in parts of the East, though more rain will be needed to alleviate drought in the Southeast.
Damaging thunderstorms are likely to be sparse, but even a lone, short-lived tornado can cause considerable damage and pose a risk to lives if it strikes a populated area.
The front may stall over the South Central and Southeastern states later this week into the weekend.
While this setup could lead to severe weather and flash flooding, it may also bring beneficial rainfall and drought relief.
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