Severe weather threatens eastern US through Sunday night
Damaging thunderstorms targeting a broad swath of the eastern United States will put lives and property at risk as the weekend comes to a close.
On Saturday, the severe weather outbreak that AccuWeather warned about throughout the week turned deadly after a large tornado swept through Franklin, Texas, and killed two children.
The storms raced eastward on Saturday night and spawned several more tornadoes across Louisiana and Mississippi.
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The severe weather dangers are spreading toward the Atlantic Coast as the weekend comes to an end, threatening more populated communities with downpours, wind damage and power outages.
The area at risk will stretch from the upper Ohio Valley and central Appalachians to the upper Gulf Coast on Sunday, before spreading through the mid-Atlantic and perhaps into southeastern New England on Sunday night.
"The storms will take on more of a squall line set up with the greatest threats being from damaging wind gusts, flash flooding and lightning strikes," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
AccuWeather meteorologists are concerned that the right ingredients will come together for several tornadoes to occur as well.
Wind gusts of 60-70 mph can occur as the storms blow through, knocking down trees and power lines.
Loose outdoor items should be secured or brought indoors before the storms strike to prevent them from becoming projectiles.
Residents in and around Pittsburgh; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Charleston, West Virginia; Atlanta; and Tallahassee, Florida, are encouraged to closely monitor weather bulletins throughout Sunday.
Motorists throughout this corridor should be ready to slow down in the downpours as visibility is reduced to near zero and the risk of hydroplaning increases.
Groupings and tee times for the final round of the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia, were moved up due to the severe weather threat.
"There is concern that the severe thunderstorms with downpours and strong gusty winds continue to march across the mid-Atlantic, southern New York and into southwestern New England on Sunday night," Pydynowski said. "Incidents of tree damage and power outages may result in some communities."
The loud, feisty storms can wake people up from a sound sleep and, even worse, cause damage or knock out power in Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Allentown, Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jersey; New York City and surrounding areas.
This line of storms can extend southward into the Raleigh, North Carolina area.
Before heading to bed, cell phones should be kept on and fully charged with the volume turned up.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay alert to severe weather watches and warnings by receiving an audible notification on your mobile device.
"Across the northern mid-Atlantic and into southern New England, this could be a case where strong winds are produced with a minimal amount of thunder and lightning," Pydynowski said.
"It is possible that the downpours and gusty thunderstorms track across Boston around the start of the Boston Marathon on Monday morning," she added.
The storms are expected to exit the Interstate-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia in time for the busy Monday morning commute. Leftover showers can linger early on around New York City.
Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
