Headline: Severe Weather Outbreak Expected Across the United States
Subtitle: National Weather Service Warns of Damaging Winds, Hail, and Tornadoes
Date: August 5, 2023
Last month saw a record number of severe weather reports in the Lower 48 states during July, and it seems that the trend is continuing into August. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued a warning for another flare-up of intense storms expected to hit the country in the second week of August.
A multiday severe weather event is expected to occur from Saturday through Tuesday, with the risk of damaging winds, hail, and a few tornadoes spanning from the Plains to the Northeast. Cities such as Kansas City, Mo., Omaha, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Nashville, Cleveland, Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia are all at risk during these days.
The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted an elevated threat of severe storms, cautioning that “all severe hazards will be possible” as the storms progress eastward. This means that damaging winds, hail, and isolated tornadoes are all potential dangers. Just last week, the Northwest Washington, Northern Virginia, and Maryland experienced intense downburst winds, with gusts over 80 mph, causing power outages for thousands of customers.
The central Plains, including Kansas, western Missouri, western Iowa, and southwest Minnesota, are at a Level 2 out of 5 risk level for severe weather. Thunderstorms are expected to form in these areas during the mid to late afternoon, potentially bringing damaging winds and hail.
In the Corn Belt and parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, there is also a Level 2 out of 5 risk level. Thunderstorms will develop in the afternoon and may persist into the evening, increasing the possibility of damaging straight-line winds and even tornadoes, especially near the warm front.
The Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and northern Appalachians are also under an elevated risk for severe storms, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center. The main concern in these areas will be damaging winds, although the possibility of sporadic tornadoes or large hail is also present.
The storminess is expected to be caused by the merging of two different storm systems. One system, characterized by high altitude cold air, low pressure, and spin, is moving through Saskatchewan. The other system will be pushing through the northern Plains. The interaction between these systems will intensify the storms and create a zone of low pressure nearer the ground, drawing in warm and humid air from the south.
The Storm Prediction Center advises residents in affected areas to stay updated on weather forecasts and take necessary precautions to stay safe during the severe weather outbreak.