Severe storms to threaten Houston to Raleigh to DC this week

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

February 21,2016; 9:35PM,EST

 

 

The southeastern and southern mid-Atlantic regions of the United States will face the return of severe weather, including tornadoes, this week.
The same winter storm set to spread disruptive snow into the Midwest and push drenching rain across the Northeast's I-95 corridor threatens to ignite severe weather in the nation's southeastern corner.
"Conditions will be conducive for severe thunderstorms developing from the Gulf Coast states on Tuesday and spreading into the mid-Atlantic region on Wednesday," AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Storm Warning Meteorologist Alex Avalos said.

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After rain and thunderstorms start the week, severe thunderstorms will erupt across southeastern Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on Tuesday before spreading to the Southeast and southern mid-Atlantic on Wednesday into Wednesday evening.
Locally heavy thunderstorms will first ignite in south-central Texas Monday night.
Cities in the threat zone include Houston; New Orleans and Lake Charles, Louisiana; Jackson and Gulfport, Mississippi; Mobile and Montgomery, Alabama; Atlanta, Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; and Richmond, Virginia.
Some of the same communities at risk are still dealing with the aftermath left by the severe weather early last week.
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The risk will even extend northward to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore later Wednesday. Farther north, a band of drenching rain with strong winds at the coast will push through the remainder of the Northeast's I-95 corridor Wednesday night into Thursday.
The strongest thunderstorms will be capable of producing damaging winds, hail and downpours.
"A few tornadoes will be possible," Avalos said. "The tornado threat should be confined to more of eastern North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia on Wednesday."

Even in the absence of severe weather, residents are reminded to seek shelter as soon as thunder is heard. The danger of being struck by lightning will be present. Stay ahead of violent thunderstorms with AccuWeather MinuteCast®.
The impending severe weather will be fueled by the storm's cold front clashing with the warm and moist air pouring northward ahead of the storm.
The passage of the front will sweep away the severe weather danger and open the door for cooler air to filter in later in the week.