Gusty Storms South Carolina to New York State

By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

October 18,2012; 4:00PM,EDT

 

 

 

Thunderstorms will shift to the Atlantic Seaboard along the same cold front that ignited severe storms and tornadoes in the lower Mississippi Valley Wednesday and Wednesday night.
While the setup is not as intense as that which yielded the wild weather Wednesday, a few of the storms can become severe into Friday.
Greenville, S.C., Charlotte, N.C., Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Martinsburg, W.Va., Altoona, Pa. and Rochester, N.Y. are among the cities that could lie in the path of the storms, which have the potential to be gusty at the local level into Thursday evening.
The greatest risk from the storms is for gusts strong enough to knock over trees and power lines. A couple of the strongest storms can also bring hail and produce a short-lived tornado.
Heavy rain and frequent lightning will be found in thunderstorms, whether they turn severe or not. Motorists should be prepared for blinding downpours during the afternoon and evening commute, especially along stretches of I-40, I-81, I-85 and I-95.

Thursday night, the storms will shift eastward to the mid-Atlantic coast, putting Wilmington and Raleigh, N.C., as well as Richmond and Norfolk, Va., at risk for drenching rain and locally strong winds.
Rain and thunderstorms will focus across the mid-Atlantic and portions of New England during at least part of Friday.
**New York City lies within the area that could experience major weather-related travel delays during Friday from urban flooding, blinding downpours and locally gusty thunderstorms.**
"@KATV_Weather @MRHstormchaser just north of Hazen. It was trying. twitpic.com/b546hp," tweeted Michael Hook.
Behind the passing front, the weather will be mild and sunny along the I-95 corridor over the weekend. Highs will be in the 60s and 70s in the big cities from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
Meanwhile, cooler weather with spotty showers will move into the interior Northeast over the weekend. Highs will top out in the 50s across much of the interior on Saturday.
Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski contributed to the content of this story.