CLEVELAND – Severe weather is expected to persist for the ninth consecutive day on Thursday, putting communities in a 1,500-mile swath of the U.S. from the Plains to the Great Lakes at risk of powerful thunderstorms. These storms may bring damaging winds, hail, and even tornadoes. The threat began last week and has already resulted in at least five storm-related deaths. Three individuals lost their lives in Pennsylvania on Tuesday due to a serial derecho that swept across the state. As of Thursday morning, around 225,000 customers in Pennsylvania were still without power, as reported by FindEnergy.com. In addition, two people were killed by flash flooding in Oklahoma on Wednesday. Approximately 69 million people are at risk of severe weather throughout Thursday. The NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 5 risk for nearly 36 million people from Texas to New York on its severe thunderstorm risk scale. Cities such as Oklahoma City, Columbus, Cleveland, Nashville, and Pittsburgh are included in this risk. Furthermore, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 7 p.m. ET Thursday for parts of northeast Kentucky, central and eastern Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, the northern panhandle of West Virginia, and Lake Erie. The main threats from the storms expected on Thursday are damaging wind gusts and possible hail, with a tornado risk extending from northern Middle Tennessee to western Pennsylvania.
