Severe weather threat focuses on eastern US into Sunday night
A possible tornado in Franklin, Texas left a trail of destruction through this neighborhood.
Damaging thunderstorms will continue to race eastward across the eastern United States into early Monday.
From Saturday to Saturday night, the severe weather outbreak that AccuWeather warned about throughout the week turned deadly in eastern Texas and Mississippi.
The severe weather dangers are spreading toward the East Coast, threatening more populated communities with downpours, wind damage and power outages.
"The severe thunderstorms will continue to march across the Carolinas, mid-Atlantic, southern New York and into southern New England on Sunday night," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
"The greatest threats through Sunday night will be damaging winds, flash flooding and lightning strikes," she added, "but residents should also remain alert for hail and isolated tornadoes."
A tornado was confirmed on the east side of Shelby, Ohio, late on Sunday afternoon.
Wind gusts of 60-70 mph can occur as the storms blow through, knocking down trees and power lines.
Loose outdoor items should be secured or brought indoors before the storms strike to prevent them from becoming projectiles.
Motorists should be ready to slow down in the downpours as visibility is reduced to near zero and the risk of hydroplaning increases.
The loud, feisty storms can wake people up from a sound sleep and, even worse, cause damage or knock out power in Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Allentown, Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jersey; New York City and surrounding areas.
This line of storms can extend southward into the Raleigh, North Carolina, area.
Before heading to bed, cell phones should be kept on and fully charged with the volume turned up.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay alert to severe weather watches and warnings by receiving an audible notification on your mobile device.
"Across the northern mid-Atlantic and into southern New England, this could be a case where strong winds are produced with a minimal amount of thunder and lightning," Pydynowski said.
"It is possible that the downpours and gusty thunderstorms track across Boston just prior to the start of the Boston Marathon on Monday morning," she added.
The storms are expected to exit the Interstate-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and New York City in time for the busy Monday morning commute.
Gusty winds, however, will develop across the mid-Atlantic on Monday. Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph can trigger sporadic power outages and tree damage.
These winds can spread to southern and central New England by Monday night.
Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
