Severe Weather Reaches The East

A large storm system that has produced severe weather from the Plains through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys since Monday will reach the East coast today.

A potent area of low pressure will move through the Mid-Atlantic states today and will drag a cold front eastward across the region as well as across the Southeast. Ahead of this front, a very warm, unstable air mass will help fuel scattered thunderstorms from Delaware and Maryland southward into northern and central Florida.

The government's Storm Prediction Center has issued a Slight Risk (rated 2 out of 5 on the severe weather scale) for severe weather in two areas. One stretches across the Delmarva Peninsula into southern Maryland, eastern Viriginia and northeastern North Carolina. The other is in effect for the central Florida Peninsula.

Cities under threat of severe weather today include Dover, Del., Richmond, Va., and Tampa and Orlando, Fla. Threats today include damaging winds in excess of 50 mph, quarter-sized hail or larger, and a few tornadoes.

Farther north, this storm system will continue to produce moderate to occasionally heavy rainfall across the eastern Ohio Valley into the central Appalachian Mountains and Mid-Atlantic states. Flood Watches remain in effect in these areas where additional rainfall amounts of one to 3 inches will lead to localized flooding.

The best thing to do is to stay prepared and weather-aware, starting with knowing the difference between a watch and a warning should they be issued this week. A watch means that conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop, and you need to have a plan in place for acting. However, a warning means that severe weather has been indicated and/or imminent, and you need to act fast to remain safe. When in doubt remember, “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!”