Severe Storms to Speed Across 500 Miles of Eastern US

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

July 14,2015; 9:45PM,EDT

 

 

Following a long swath of derecho-like severe weather on Sunday into Monday, another long swath of storms will extend 500 miles from the Ohio Valley to parts of the South and mid-Atlantic into Tuesday night.
A line of thunderstorms was developing over the Ohio Valley during Tuesday afternoon. Other storms were developing over the Tennessee Valley as well.

Severe Storms Into Tuesday Night; Drenching Storms through Wednesday

Even though the storms from the Ohio and Tennessee valleys may not completely join up, the storms will turn severe and stretch from southern Ohio to northern Alabama, while rolling southeastward as the evening hours progress. The forward speed of the storms could approach 40-50 mph.

During Tuesday night, the storms are likely to stretch from southeastern Virginia to southeastern Georgia.
The storms could affect the major metro areas of Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Charleston, Huntington and Morgantown, West Virginia; Lexington and London, Kentucky; Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee; Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington, North Carolina; Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina; Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; and Huntsville, Alabama.
According to AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Alex Avalos, the storms will bring the risk of damaging 70-mph wind gusts, hail, frequent lighting strikes and torrential rainfall. Some neighborhoods and rural areas could be hit with downed trees, power outages and flash flooding from the storms.
"An isolated tornado could also occur, especially in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina during Tuesday afternoon and evening," Avalos said.
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The storms will overlap areas in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia that were hit hard by flash flooding from multiple rounds of torrential thunderstorms on Monday and Monday night.
In part of the Northeast, there will be slow-moving showers and thunderstorms into Tuesday night, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek.
"While the majority of these storms will not be severe, a few communities could be hit with flooding downpours and strong gusty winds from the upper mid-Atlantic to upstate New York and western New England," Dombek said.
By Wednesday, a mosaic of showers and thunderstorms will continue in the Eastern states and will tend to be spread throughout the Atlantic Seaboard, including eastern New England.
The storms will tend to be more of a nuisance with the possibility of travel delays and disruptions to outdoor activities on Wednesday.

"While widespread severe weather is not expected, a few locations could be hit with a torrential downpour and brief wind gusts, especially along the Atlantic Seaboard," Dombek said.
Some drier air will tone down the shower and thunderstorm activity over the Appalachians.