HEAVY STORMS AND HEAVY RAINS

Storm Snowfall Map 1

A shifting severe weather pattern is expected over the next 48 hours as the primary threat area transitions westward into the High Plains. The greatest concern today and tomorrow will stretch from eastern Colorado and western Kansas southward through the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, where atmospheric conditions will become favorable for discrete supercell thunderstorm development.

These storms will be capable of producing very large hail, damaging wind gusts, and isolated tornadoes. The combination of strong instability, increasing wind shear, and dryline interactions across the region should support rotating thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours. Some of the hail could become significant in size, especially with the more intense supercells that remain isolated before potentially clustering later at night.

Meanwhile, across portions of the Mid-Atlantic, a different type of severe weather setup will continue today as deep moisture and slow-moving thunderstorms bring the threat for heavy rainfall and localized flooding concerns. Repeated downpours may lead to rises on streams and creeks, particularly in areas that have already received substantial rainfall recently.

In addition to the flooding concerns, some thunderstorms in the Mid-Atlantic could also produce strong to locally damaging wind gusts as heavier rain cores move through. While the tornado threat appears limited there, isolated severe thunderstorm warnings are likely through the day.

Conditions across the Mid-Atlantic will gradually transition away from severe weather after today as cooler air settles into the region behind the storm system. Instead of thunderstorms, much of the area will experience a chilly, raw rainfall heading into the weekend, with cloudy skies and periods of steady rain dominating the weather pattern.