Severe Weather Ramping Up Across Eastern U.S. Through Thursday

A rocky few days of weather are setting across portions of the East Coast on Wednesday and Thursday, likely disrupting travel in and out of a number of major cities. Here is what you can expect in the coming hours as the line of storms moves from the Midwest and to the eastern U.S. through Thursday.

Storms Roaming the Eastern U.S. on Wednesday and Thursday

Locally severe storms are gearing up to hammer cities such as Indianapolis, Philadelphia, New York City, and Charlotte over the next few days. The storms will ignite across portions of interstates 70, 80, 85, and 95, hitting some of the most populated metro areas in the region. This part of the country will be at risk of experiencing severe impacts along with heavy rain.

The line of storms will come together in an area that is under a mass of humid air. An approaching cold front coming from the Midwest on Wednesday will clash with this mass of warm and moist air and provide the fuel for the storm development. The Wednesday afternoon and evening forecast is calling for storms to fire up across the central Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic, and up into New England.

The likely air travel disruptions will come at a time when airlines are still playing catch up after a major global software outage impacted flights across the world. There have been thousands of flight cancellations and delays this week as a result of this glitch. The incoming severe storms will only serve to exacerbate this ongoing issue.

Unfortunately, the storms are forecast to hit some of the busiest hubs in the country. The Northeast is a hub for an overwhelming amount of air activity, meaning that storms that impact this region are likely to have ripple effects all over the U.S.

Two Separate Areas of Storm Development

Wednesday evening's storms are predicted to focus on two separate areas. The first burst of activity will set up in a zone from southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey down into the central portions of South Carolina. The natural heating of the day will trigger the storms, translating to a higher risk in the late afternoon and evening hours. Potential impacts of these storm cells include torrential rain, high winds, and frequent lightning strikes. Winds may be powerful enough to bring down power lines and trees.

Places such as Richmond, Virginia are going to be in the crosshairs of this storm development on Wednesday. The capital city is forecast to see scattered storms packing gusty winds and small hail. The rain showers will linger into Thursday, delivering about a quarter of an inch of rain. Highs will reach about 85 degrees on Wednesday before topping out at just 80 degrees on Thursday.

A secondary zone of activity is predicted to form an area to the northwest ahead of the incoming cool front, impacting a large area from Illinois to Maine. As with the first area of impact, the heating of the day will precede the development of the storms. In addition to the impacts expected to the south, this area should also be prepared for the possibility of hail as these storms reach high enough into the atmosphere to find the cold air necessary for this production.