Late-week severe weather risk to extend from Texas to New York state, perhaps Maine

Following multiple days of severe weather over the central United States, the threat of severe thunderstorms will continue in the Plains and may extend into New England.

A press of cool air across the North Central states will allow the zone of severe weather to push eastward across parts of the middle Mississippi Valley.

The storm potential on Thursday is likely to cover the spectrum of severe weather ranging from damaging winds and large hail to flash flooding, frequent lightning strikes and a few tornadoes.

Cities most at risk for violent storms from Thursday afternoon to Thursday night include Fort Smith, Arkansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma, St. Louis, Springfield and Kansas City, Missouri; Davenport, Iowa; Chicago, Peoria and Springfield, Illinois, and Dallas.

While an isolated tornado may occur anywhere in this zone, the greatest risk of a concentrated area of tornadoes is from southeastern Iowa to western Missouri and perhaps western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.

The risk of heavy to locally severe storms will extend farther to the northeast from the lower Great Lakes to the Hudson Valley of New York state and part of western New England during Thursday to Thursday evening.

Commuters along the I-88 and I-90 corridors and airline passengers in Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto and Buffalo and Albany, New York should anticipate delays. People spending time outdoors should keep an eye out for rapidly changing weather conditions and move indoors at the first sign of a storm.

A few of the storms in this zone may bring flash flooding, strong wind gusts, hail and frequent lightning strikes.

The risk of heavy, gusty and locally severe thunderstorms will exist on Friday as well. In some locations of New York state and western New England, the storms on Friday may be more robust than Thursday's storms.

Friday's potential for locally strong to severe thunderstorms is likely to extend from parts of the Ohio Valley to the central Appalachians and eastern New England.

The risk may extend as far to the north as Maine on Friday afternoon and evening.

The press of cool air forecast to settle over the North Central states at midweek will expand slowly southward and eastward this weekend to end the severe weather potential from the southern Plains, Midwest and Northeast.

However, the risk of heavy, gusty thunderstorms at minimum will finally reach the southern Appalachians and some of the Piedmont areas on Saturday.

Warmth may try to hold its ground in the Southeast this weekend, so the advance of thunderstorms may stall.

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