Severe storms to threaten Philadelphia to Washington, DC
Thunderstorms will pulse and become locally severe from the central Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic coast into Monday night.
The storms will rumble in parts of Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Ohio, West Virginia, southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, southern New Jersey and northern and central Virginia.
Metro areas at risk for severe weather into Monday night include Cincinnati; Charleston, West Virginia; Baltimore; Dover, Delaware; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; and Philadelphia.
Lightning poses the most widespread risk to people and pets outdoors.
In some cases, the storms will develop right over a location, rather than move in. Keep alert for rapidly changing weather conditions. A few locations may be hit by multiple storms into Monday night.
If you can hear thunder when outdoors, you are at risk for being struck by lightning. Move indoors at the first rumble of thunder. (Pixabay photo)
Be sure to seek shelter indoors and away from windows at the first rumble of thunder or flash of lightning. A hard-top, metal vehicle can be a safe, secondary alternative.
If fishing or on the beach, get away from the water and get indoors.
However, avoid parking or standing under trees, which are most often struck by lightning and at risk for toppling over during storms.
Another risk from the storms is isolated strong wind gusts that can break tree limbs, knock over poorly-rooted trees and trigger power outages.
Loose items in the yard ranging from patio furniture to trampolines can be sent airborne and cause additional damage.
Flash flooding can occur at any location where downpours last more than a few minutes.
In this particular setup with repeating showers and thunderstorms, there is an elevated risk of flash flooding in urban areas and along small streams.
A few of the strongest thunderstorms can produce a tornado.
While the tornado risk is low for any one location, the chance of such a storm is greatest from the mid-afternoon to the early-evening hours. In some cases, the tornado may be wrapped in rain and difficult to spot.
A small number of locations may be hit with pea- to golf ball-sized hail as well.
On Tuesday, the risk of locally severe thunderstorms will shift a bit farther to the south and generally out of Pennsylvania and extend into a large part of North Carolina.
The threat for severe storms will extend from central and eastern parts of Kentucky and Tennessee to much of West Virginia, Virginia Maryland and Delaware to the southern tip of New Jersey on Tuesday.
After a potential lull in severe weather on Wednesday, the risk of severe thunderstorms is forecast to increase substantially in the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic corridor on Thursday. Details will follow soon on AccuWeather.com.
Download the free AccuWeather app for more precise details on the forecast for your area, including severe weather bulletins. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
