Severe Weather Fires Up at Ridge of Heat Dome

While the unseasonably warm temperatures are set to linger in the Northeast and beyond in the coming days, some communities will experience severe thunderstorms and rain showers. Here is a look at what you can expect out of this varied forecast in the coming days.

Storms to Fire Up at Edge of Heat Dome

Multiple rounds of thunderstorms are forecast to push through the central and eastern portions of the U.S. heading into the weekend. While some of the storms will work to trim the heat slightly, they will bring along their own set of risks, including heavy rain and flash flooding.

It is not unusual for thunderstorm activity to fire up at the rim of a heat dome. This happens because rising hot air creates towering clouds that are capable of unleashing torrential rain and thunderstorms. This pattern is particularly common during the afternoon and evening hours of the summer months. Any disturbance or front that rides along the edge of a heat dome supports the formation of storms further. All of these factors will work together to create a fertile environment for storm eruption into the early part of next week.

The bulk of the storms will extend from the central portions of Ontario, Canada and into New England. The line of storms will periodically stretch far enough to the south to impact the central Appalachians and into the mid-Atlantic. A primary zone of impact is forecast to set up over the lower Hudson Valley and into Connecticut, including areas just to the north of New York City.