Locally Strong Storms in the South Monday

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

December 17,2012; 7:13PM,EST

Strong to locally damaging thunderstorms are in store over part of the Deep South as well as part of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys into Monday evening.
The area from the Florida Panhandle to the South Carolina/North Carolina border has the greatest potential for the powerful thunderstorms. A secondary area of locally strong storms can occur from eastern Tennessee to southeastern Ohio and western West Virginia.
The greatest risk from the storm will be wind gusts reaching 60 mph. Winds this strong are capable of downing large tree limbs and power lines, as well as minor property damage. Hail is a possibility with some of the storms.

As the storms wander near or pass over area airports, they can lead to flight delays.
Another characteristic of the storms will be downpours that can be heavy enough to briefly blind drivers and cause urban flooding.
While tornadoes are possible with any severe thunderstorm, only a couple of the strongest storms in this setup will be capable of producing a short-lived tornado.
Most of the storms will quickly diminish Monday night and will exit the area from the Carolina coast to northeastern Florida. However, a few locally strong storms can reach into the central counties of the Florida Peninsula later on at night.

A positive aspect of this storm and another event to follow later this week is needed rainfall. Meteorologist Andy Mussoline discusses the rainfall for Monday's system in "Beneficial rain Spreading into the Southeast."

AccuWeather.com meteorologists will be monitoring the potential for another, perhaps more widespread severe thunderstorm event Wednesday into Thursday. The outbreak would begin over the lower Mississippi Valley and spread into the Southeast and part of the Ohio Valley.

Severe weather in December has been no stranger in recent years.

The midweek storms would be part of a major storm system bringing a blizzard to part of the Upper Midwest, high winds to the Midwest in general and the most substantial lake-effect snow event of the season so far.