Dangerous storms loom for millions from Texas to the Northeast
Damaging winds, hail and flash flooding are possible as rounds of thunderstorms track from the Plains and Midwest into the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and Northeast through midweek.
It’s been a wild day of severe weather that produced a tornado outbreak in the state of Kansas on May 18. Storm chaser Aaron Rigsby chased three tornadoes in Palmer, Cottage Hill and Winifred.
Dangerous severe weather occurred Monday evening across more than a dozen states from the Plains to the Midwest. While the Monday outbreak was likely to be the most potent severe weather of the week, severe storms will shift east into midweek, bringing gusty winds and flooding downpours for millions from Texas to the Northeast.
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From Monday to Monday night, multiple tornadoes were reported across Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. Large hail was common across the Plains, with several reports of golf ball-sized to 2-inch hail and the largest report of 2.75-inch hail near Sheridan, Missouri.
Storm chasers Dr. Reed Timmer and Aaron Jayjack intercepted a tornado that formed near Palmer, Kansas, in a close encounter on May 18. Debris is seen flying around where the tornado has touched down.
As AccuWeather meteorologists accurately predicted, damaging winds were the most widespread hazard, producing downed trees, power outages and structural damage from Illinois and Indiana into Michigan and Kansas. Peak wind gusts reached 92 mph in Kansas, while Chicago Midway Airport recorded a 79-mph gust.
As storms approach and pass through major airport hubs Tuesday morning, the risk of airline delays and cancellations will increase. Even airports under a sunny sky could experience delays or ground stops because of storms at destination hubs hundreds of miles away.
Severe weather threat shifts east Tuesday, Wednesday
While thunderstorm intensity from Tuesday to Wednesday will be significantly lower than Sunday and Monday, there will still be some risk of severe weather. Even a single severe thunderstorm can produce dangerous and damaging conditions locally.
Tuesday's severe weather will stretch from the Rio Grande in Texas to southern Ontario, with damaging wind gusts of 60-70 mph, flooding and hail possible.
A separate small pocket of heavy, gusty thunderstorms may rumble through New York state and part of New England as well.
Storms can be potent, but overall thunderstorm coverage is forecast to remain spotty, and many places will stay dry.
On Wednesday, severe thunderstorms may develop from eastern Tennessee to southeastern New York and parts of southern New England. The threat Wednesday includes the major metro areas and airport hubs of New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
A separate pocket of heavy-to-severe thunderstorms is forecast to unfold over portions of western and central Texas Wednesday afternoon.
The main threats from the storms Tuesday and Wednesday will be strong, straight-line wind gusts and sudden downpours that can reduce visibility and lead to ponding on area streets and highways.
Needed rainfall for part of drought-stricken Southern states
Most of the severe thunderstorms will occur along a cool front that will knock down the building heat wave in its wake. The front will pick up forward speed into midweek, then grind to a halt over the Southern states for the second half of the week.
Storms along the advancing front and at the boundary stops can bring rainfall rates of multiple inches per hour. While the storms' forward motion should limit rainfall totals from Tuesday into Wednesday, excessive rainfall may still develop later this week from parts of Texas to the Tennessee Valley.
If repeated downpours develop, the danger of flash flooding may outweigh the benefits of drought relief in some communities.
As the boundary stalls across the southern tier of the United States, abundant moisture will support a few gusty thunderstorms in addition to the potential for flooding downpours late in the week.
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