Severe storms, torrential downpours to erupt in eastern, central US ahead of July 4th holiday
Thunderstorms will erupt as the decaying heat dome gives way, feeding on the lingering hot and humid air across parts of the central and eastern United States. These storms are likely to cluster near advancing cool air boundaries. Some of these storms will be severe and/or bring flooding downpours, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
A prime area for both severe thunderstorms packing strong wind gusts and torrential downpours that can trigger dangerous flash flooding will stretch from parts of the central Appalachians to southern Virginia and westward into parts of the Ohio Valley.
"A wedge of cooler air has settled over the Northeast but stalled across parts of the central Appalachians, creating a focal point for downpours and potentially severe storms."
Some of the same areas in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania that experienced flash flooding in the past couple of weeks will be at risk for flooding again due to the incredible amount of moisture in the atmosphere that will be squeezed out like a sponge.
Intense downburst winds and small hail can accompany some of the storms into the early evening. Heavy rainfall can occur at any time through Friday night, before being renewed on Saturday.
Rainfall rates in the most extreme cases can exceed 2 inches per hour, which is more than enough to turn drainage culverts, city streets and small streams into raging torrents.
A storm and trailing cool front will slice across the Great Lakes through Friday night, before reaching the Northeast on Saturday.Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+
As the front advances, it will become a new focusing point for locally severe thunderstorms in the Appalachians and parts of the Atlantic coast. Flooding downpours and strong, localized wind gusts will pose the main threats to travelers and those spending time outdoors.
A couple of the strongest storms on Saturday afternoon could spawn brief tornadoes. Perhaps the most likely spot for that will be over New York's Hudson Valley.
Farther northwest, a new storm and front will gather moisture and momentum over the northern Plains on Friday then the Great Lakes region and part of the central Plains on Saturday.
From high winds and damaging hail to flash flooding and powerful wind gusts, all modes of severe weather will be possible with storms into Saturday.
The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust for Friday evening is 90 mph but will increase to 95 mph on Saturday, as the intensity of the storms is likely to peak later in the day and evening as the storms move into central and southwestern Minnesota.
Later in the weekend, heavy and gusty to locally severe thunderstorms will tend to press southeastward and extend from Wisconsin to the High Plains of Colorado, Wyoming and northeastern New Mexico.
In the zone from southwestern Wisconsin to northeastern Kansas and southeastern Nebraska, a greater concentration of severe weather is likely, with some storms capable of producing damaging hail, a few tornadoes and powerful wind gusts.
Aside from the various pockets of severe weather this weekend, storms in parts of the middle Mississippi Valley and Florida can be especially drenching with locally gusty winds as well.
In contrast, much of the West and the southern Plains will tend to be free of rain.
The same storm and trailing front over the central Plains and western Great Lakes will push to the south and east on Monday. The major Midwest hubs of Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and Indianapolis are likely to be dealing with severe weather at some point on Monday afternoon and evening.
The same setup may advance into parts of the Northeast and southern Appalachians on Tuesday.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
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