A 1,000-mile multi-day severe weather threat that is impacting the Heartland will spread into the Eastern Seaboard starting Wednesday through Thursday.
The same cold front responsible for the upcoming Tuesday storms is expected to push through the Mississippi Valley and eventually into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, triggering thunderstorm development.
There is still some uncertainty surrounding the storm’s impacts because storms from Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning may still be ongoing.
The FOX Forecast Center said those storms could leave behind clouds and rain that limit how much the atmosphere can warm and become unstable later in the day.
Despite this, conditions across the Ohio Valley could support strong storm development due to increasing moisture near the ground and strong winds higher in the atmosphere. These ingredients would help organize a storm.
There could be a few storms across the Deep South, Southwest and Lower Mississippi Valley. If this area remains quiet, the atmosphere could become more unstable ahead of an approaching cold front.
If this occurs, storms could develop in several ways, with some forming ahead of the front. At the same time, a larger line of thunderstorms moves to the east.
Locations such as Nashville, Tennessee, Charleston, South Carolina and Pittsburgh are under a Level 2 out of 5 severe storm threat.
Nashville could see moderate rainfall ranging from 1 to 2 inches through Thursday. Despite this, the region has experienced dry weather recently and could certainly use the precipitation.
By Thursday, the severe weather risk will continue through parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast as a cold front sweeps across the eastern U.S.
The severity of Thursday’s severe weather risk will depend on how the storms on Wednesday evolve.
If widespread storms develop earlier and move ahead of the front, they could use up much of the available atmospheric energy, reducing the threat of stronger storms later.
Regardless of storm severity, it is expected to produce 1 to 2 inches of rain in most states east of the Mississippi River, which could use the wet weather amid drought conditions.
