As a busy weather pattern persists in parts of the Northeast, Midwest, and south-central United States, storms are expected to reoccur in areas where repairs are underway following previous damage and utility line disruptions caused by recent storms, according to meteorologists at AccuWeather. As of midday Thursday, more storms are developing over the Ohio Valley and are forecasted to move into areas already affected by Tuesday’s severe weather, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Kentucky later on Thursday and Thursday night.
At its peak, over 700,000 utility customers were left without power due to extensive damage from downed trees, damaged lines, and snapped utility poles on Tuesday evening. Although the upcoming storms may be less intense than those on Tuesday, there is still a risk of significant damage, especially in areas recently hit by severe weather. Repair crews may need to halt operations until the new storms pass.
Some communities have been without power since Tuesday’s storms, and additional challenges have arisen as a major carrier disrupted phone service in certain areas, leaving residents without outside communication during emergency situations. A cluster of severe thunderstorms is expected to develop over parts of the southern Plains and move southeastward as a large complex with strong wind gusts, heavy rain, and hail into Friday morning.
The possibility of severe thunderstorms on Friday extends from Texas to southwestern Pennsylvania, marking potentially violent weather conditions for at least the second consecutive day. The most intense storms on Friday are anticipated in northern and central Texas, where hailstones of significant size could occur. Weather patterns driving severe storms are expected to shift slightly by the weekend, with the greatest threat of severe weather moving towards the Atlantic Seaboard from New Hampshire to Florida and the northeastern Gulf coast.
This could be the first time in several days that severe weather reaches major cities along the Atlantic coast such as New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, and Charleston, South Carolina. Airline delays are possible as storms approach. Depending on the behavior of a new storm in the East, a second day of severe weather may impact parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Sunday.
Although the setup over the next few days may not favor widespread tornadoes, any severe thunderstorm could potentially produce a brief tornado due to the intense nature of the situation. For advanced, ad-free safety alerts, consider subscribing to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app to access hyperlocal severe weather notifications generated by expert meteorologists who continuously monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks to help keep you and your family safe.
