Heavy, gusty thunderstorms to target eastern US through Wednesday evening

By Alex Sosnowski , AccuWeather senior meteorologist

November 30,2016, 9:34:23PM,EST

 

 

 

Thunderstorms with strong winds are threatening lives and property in parts of the eastern United States through Wednesday evening.
The greatest risk of thunderstorms with gusts between 40 and 60 mph will extend from the Florida Panhandle, northward to central North Carolina into the early evening hours.
The risk of isolated storms with damaging winds will continue to expand eastward and northward during Wednesday evening. Areas from Delaware and eastern Maryland to coastal areas of the Carolinas will be at risk during this time.
Several of the strongest storms have the potential to produce brief tornadoes.
One thunderstorm tornado touched down near Atlanta leading to a ground stop at the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
On Wednesday evening, thunderstorms around Charlotte caused a ground stop for all traffic at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Waterspouts were been sighted along the shoreline of the Florida Panhandle during the midday hours on Wednesday. A couple of the waterspouts moved ashore as tornadoes.
People should seek shelter as the storms approach.

Most of the storms will not be as intense as those which struck areas from Louisiana to Alabama and Tennessee on Tuesday, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.
Storms from late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night were fatal in some communities. The storms generated more than 100 severe weather incidents, including more than two dozen reports of tornadoes.
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"Winds can be strong enough to knock down trees and large tree limbs and cause property damage into Wednesday evening," Margusity said.
The most far-reaching impact of the storms will be downpours that can lead to urban and poor drainage area flooding.
Some of the downpours as far to the northeast as New York state and New England can be accompanied by brief gusty winds.
The sudden downpours and wind can blind some motorists and cause low enough visibility to lead to brief airline delays at the major hubs from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.
People heading to Rockefeller Center in New York City for the tree lighting during Wednesday evening should be prepared for stormy but mild conditions.
During Wednesday night and Thursday, from west to east, a push of drier and chillier air will arrive and sweep clouds and storms away from much of the Appalachians and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.