A powerful storm system that impacted the heartland and the Ohio and Tennessee valleys over the past two days continues to advance eastward, with much of the East Coast under threat of severe storms Wednesday.
Due to weather conditions not being as conducive to severe weather, the chances of hail, damaging winds and tornadoes are lower than they have been over the past 48 hours.
“So we’re now going from a 4 out of 5 risk to a 2 out of 5 risk. That means you’re taking your foot off the accelerator. You always think about what those threats might be,” said Steve Bender, FOX Weather meteorologist.
The Storm Prediction Center noted that communities from New Jersey to Florida are at increased risk of severe weather.
The increased threat zone includes cities such as Virginia Beach, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Tampa and Orlando.
About 36 million people are at risk, which the FOX Forecast Center considers “possible” and “probable.”
This is happening now
A cold front continues to advance eastward and, ahead of the frontal boundary, numerous showers and thunderstorms occur.
The storm system is moving quickly, with some cells moving eastward at over 50 mph.
Some storms remain severe, prompting the issuance of weather alerts in many counties.
The majority of storms are expected to occur offshore around sunset, but wintry weather at the northern end of the storm system will persist at least through Thursday.
April is typically the second busiest month for severe weather.
The fourth month of the year typically sees an increase in severe weather events, as seasonal air masses clash over the eastern half of the country.
In fact, April is typically the second busiest month for tornadoes, just behind May.
A global weather pattern known as El Niño is known to suppress outbreaks of severe weather in the Lower 48 region.
The year appears to be following the norms established during previous El Niño episodes.
SPC data shows tornado activity for the year is below average, while reports of hail and damaging winds are closer to average.
New York Post
