Severe Weather Outbreak Stretches to Southeast US, Ohio Valley with Downpours, Tornadoes Still at Play

The Southeast US and the Ohio Valley are now being affected by the ongoing severe weather outbreak, which is bringing with it heavy downpours and the possibility of numerous tornadoes.

As storms target the said regions on Friday, the chance of severe weather will last for a third day in a row. Across several patches throughout 11 states, the severe weather, which is actually a byproduct of a greater storm system moving across the nation, could bring downpours, damaging wind gusts, and tornadoes.

Severe Weather Outbreak, Downpours, Heavy Snow

The potent storm that caused this early-season severe weather outbreak made landfall on American soil earlier this week, bringing with it downpours that could potentially help with the drought conditions and bring heavy snow to California's lower elevations. On Friday and Saturday, it will progress into the Northeast and the Midwest, bringing cities like Boston and Chicago a lot of snow that will make travel difficult.

From the Gulf Coast states, extending to the Ohio Valley, the final bout of severe weather is anticipated to develop into Friday night. Compared to Thursday, there will be less of a chance for strong thunderstorms, however, experts warn that will not be completely gone.

The severe threat will intensify by Friday lunchtime along and to the west of Interstate 65, including in Birmingham in Alabama, Nashville in Tennessee, and Louisville in Kentucky.

Due to a surge of hotter, more humid air coming in from the Gulf of Mexico, the threat will be greatest farther east in the afternoon. This air will be moved by strong, southerly winds that will extend northward into West Virginia and portions of Ohio. This will support the development of a new system of thunderstorms, which have the potential to intensify quickly during the evening commute.

Meanwhile, a family in Clayton experienced a serious alarm in the early hours of Thursday when lightning struck their home and started a fire, according to ABC11. The lightning strike occurred in the Riverwood Golf Community, but the family was able to flee safely.

Thunderstorms

Tony Zartman, a senior meteorologist from AccuWeather, said that on Friday, the risk of tornadoes will increase again, particularly in the central and northern regions of the risk area, which are nearer to the storm system triggering the formation of a thunderstorm. Further south, damaging wind gusts were produced by a narrow band of thunderstorms that moved into the boundaries of Georgia as well as the Carolinas.

As thunderstorms develop and progress into Friday evening, drivers who had intended to travel along portions of several interstates may need to change their plans. The said Interstates include I-20, 40, 75, and 85. Among the major cities at risk for these dangerous storms are Atlanta, Charlotte, Charleston, West Virginia, and Columbus, Ohio.

Damaging Winds

Between Friday and Friday night, the storm system's powerful wind gusts will hit regions stretching from the Ohio Valley all the way to the Tennessee Valley, as well as the Appalachian Mountains' western slopes, in place of thunderstorm activity.

In a large portion of this zone, gusts frequently reach between 40 and 50 mph. However, there are instances where gusts can reach 60 mph and even 80 mph.

Some trees may topple over more readily than if the ground were relatively dry because the ground may be awash from the recent downpours and thunderstorms. Falling trees will most likely take down powerlines and cause roadblocks.

This weekend, as the storm system moves off the East Coast, the severe weather outbreak that has been going on for several days will finally come to an end. Waves of colder air will move farther south across the country as a result of a pattern change that is expected to occur around the middle of the month, and this will likely cause a temporary decrease in the intensity of thunderstorm activity across much of the country, according to AccuWeather.

Also Read: Severe Weather with Tornadoes, Floods Will Affect Millions in South US

...And Into the East

This afternoon's widespread downpours and floods from the southern Plains and further into the Ohio Valley, as well as severe thunderstorms progressing throughout many of these same locations and into the Tennessee Valley, have all been linked to a strong area of low pressure over the Ohio Valley.

As the associated cold front approaches the East coast tonight, the residual flash flood and risks of severe weather start to wane as the surface low moves northeastward. But as the system moves east tonight, pockets of heavy snow will develop in southeast Lower Michigan and inner parts of the Northeast.

From Pennsylvania and central New York into southern New England, residents are to expect a mix of sleet and freezing rain, National Weather Service reports.