Storms to roar across midwestern, northeastern US with damaging winds

July 21,2016; 6:15PM,EDT

 

 

Thunderstorms with the potential for high winds will roar from the Upper Midwest to the northeastern United States through Friday evening.
As heat surges eastward, thunderstorms will ride the northern rim of hot air from the Great Lakes on Thursday to the northeastern United States on Friday.
"The pattern is conducive for the formation of a derecho, given the magnitude of the heat and the strength of winds aloft over the central U.S.," according to AccuWeather Chief Video Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.

One complex of storms produced nearly-continuous high winds along a 300-mile swath from near the North Dakota/Minnesota border to parts of north-central Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The storms produced wind gusts ranging from 60 to 80 mph.
"The greatest risk from the thunderstorms will continue to be damaging wind gusts," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
The storms can knock down trees, break off large tree limbs, cause minor property damage and produce sporadic power outages in some communities.
Sudden winds and waves can catch boaters off guard, especially on the Great Lakes.
Into Thursday evening, locations across northern Illinois, eastern Iowa and northwest Indiana are at the greatest risk of being hit by a severe thunderstorm, including Chicago.
More storms will erupt and progress southeastward over the Upper Midwest during Thursday night.
On Friday, the greatest threat for severe thunderstorms will shift from New York state to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

"There could also be flash flooding, but that will likely be on an isolated level as the storms will tend to move too fast to allow a more widespread threat to unfold," Pydynowski said.
A small number of the storms can also produce hail big enough to dent automobiles.
As the stronger storms approach airports, flight delays are likely. Major airports that could be most affected by the storms include Detroit Metro, Cleveland-Hopkins, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Boston-Logan.
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A greater number of locations will experience a brief downpour or two and a breeze, rather than severe weather. It may rain less than an hour or two in many areas.
However, even farther south from Illinois to Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and northern West Virginia, there is the potential for some storms to pack damaging winds and a blinding downpour.
As a result, there is a chance of brief delays at the airports around New York City, including Newark, LaGuardia and JFK, during late Friday afternoon and evening.
Because of the rather quick-moving nature of the storms, people spending time outdoors should keep an eye out for rapidly changing weather conditions and seek shelter at the first rumble of thunder, Pydynowski stated.
"If you can hear thunder, you are at risk for being struck by lightning," she said.