Powerful storms to charge across Southeastern states Wednesday
AccuWeather meteorologists say a potent cold front that produced a dangerous outbreak of tornadoes Tuesday night across parts of the South will continue to track east Wednesday and unleash more potentially damaging storms.
Experts say that although the thunderstorms are expected to be past their peak intensity from 12-24 hours earlier, residents may still get a rude awakening, and motorists a slower commute, as the stormy weather charges eastward Wednesday morning.
"On Wednesday, conditions in the atmosphere will begin to trend less favorable for severe weather, but that may not be enough to prevent isolated damaging storms from occurring," AccuWeather Meteorologist Joe Bauer said.
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Individual thunderstorms that formed into Tuesday night have congealed into a relatively uniform line Wednesday morning as they sweep across southern Georgia, southeastern South Carolina and northern Florida.
AccuWeather's severe weather experts expect damaging wind gusts and heavy rain to be a primary hazard along this line, though a brief tornado or two will be possible.
During the midday hours, thunderstorms will slice through the metro areas of Panama City and Tallahassee, Florida, as well as Savannah, Georgia.
The fast-moving nature of this front should actually limit most of the severe weather potential to the morning and midday hours as opposed to the late afternoon when the feistiest storms typically occur as a result of peak daytime heating.
Thunderstorms may be past peak intensity and become no more than gusty downpours that could last for an hour or two Wednesday afternoon in places such as Jacksonville, Florida.
While a rumble of thunder can accompany rain across the Carolinas during the first half of Wednesday, the main focus of the potential severe weather reports is expected to be to the southwest.
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Farther north and away from the main zone at risk for severe thunderstorms, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that wind gusts can become damaging at midweek across a vast area of the Midwest and Northeast.
These wind gusts can occur before, during and after heavy rain showers move through with the cold front.
Drier and chillier weather will sweep into the Southeast by Thursday, although a quick rebound in temperatures is expected by the weekend.
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