Severe weather to threaten Midwest, Appalachians through midweek
Severe weather is expected to spread from the Midwest to the Appalachians through midweek, threatening millions with flooding downpours, damaging winds, hail and even a few tornadoes.
This is the same storm system that sparked strong, gusty storms over the Plains this past weekend. A 75-mph wind gust was reported in Gage, Oklahoma, on Sunday night.
Travel delays are likely to ensue, including airline delays due to blinding rain, potential flooding and frequent lightning.
Residents will need to continue to stay on guard throughout this volatile weather pattern.
Storms brought flooding rain and damaging winds to areas of Kentucky late Tuesday morning and into Tuesday afternoon, resulting in road closures and over 35,000 power outages across the state.
One person was injured near Jefferson City, Missouri, after being struck by lightning, emergency managers reported.
As the storm spreads eastward, so will the threat for severe weather into Wednesday night.
For some communities in the Ohio Valley, this may be the second day in a row of strong to severe storms.
The storms on Wednesday will pose similar threats to those from earlier in the week, including damaging winds, hail and flash flooding.
"The Wednesday afternoon commute could be a slow one in Buffalo, New York; Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as surrounding communities," AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott said.
Elliott added that the biggest impact to lives and property on Wednesday will be flash flooding, especially because many areas in the threat zone have been soaked by heavy rainfall in recent weeks.
It will be important for residents and anyone traveling through the area to remain up to date on local watches and warnings and to take shelter at the first sign of threatening weather.
Due to the threat of overnight thunderstorms, it will also be imperative that residents keep a weather radio or a charged phone nearby with weather alerts enabled. Anyone traveling at night will need to stay weather aware and seek shelter in a sturdy structure during any threatening weather.
Flash flooding submerged roadways and vehicles in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, last Wednesday after three to as much as four inches of rain fell across the city in just a few hours.
Locally strong, violent wind gusts, such as from microbursts will be possible in communities hit by the hardest storms this Wednesday.
Damage to trees, roofs and power lines can occur when wind gusts reach 40-50 mph. A boy scout was killed near Covington, Georgia, on Monday when wind gusts of this strength blew a tree over onto his tent.
Storms should begin to lose their intensity as they move east of the Appalachians by Wednesday night.
However, a few strong, gusty storms could re-fire in southeastern New England on Thursday before heat and humidity begin to overspread the region over the weekend.
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