Severe Storm System Sweeping East: Potential for Damaging Winds, Flooding and Tornadoes
Potent Storm System Threatening East Coast After Causing Havoc in the South
A potent storm system that triggered deadly severe weather from Texas to the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday is now moving towards the East Coast, posing a risk of more powerful storms from the shores of Lake Erie to Tampa Bay. Wednesday’s storms resulted in a trail of damage and were responsible for at least one death. Over 200 reports of severe weather, including approximately 10 tornadoes, were received by the National Weather Service between Tuesday night and Thursday morning. Tornadoes caused significant damage in Katy, Texas; Lake Charles and Slidell, Louisiana; and near Mobile, Alabama.
Impact on Power and Floods in Southern States
High winds from the storms knocked out power to more than 250,000 customers across the South on Wednesday, with the highest number of outages in Louisiana. As the storm system progressed towards the Northeast, over 125,000 customers in Louisiana through the Carolinas were affected, remaining in the dark on Thursday morning. The storms also triggered over 120 flash flood warnings and numerous flood reports, including in New Orleans, Mobile, and Tallahassee.
Expanding Threat to the Ohio Valley and East Coast
With the storm system moving northeastward on Thursday, the threat is shifting towards the Ohio Valley and East Coast regions. Damaging winds, scattered hail, and localized flooding are predicted. The greatest potential for tornadoes remains in southeast Ohio, western West Virginia, and the zone from central Florida to far southeast Georgia.
The damaging storms that emerged late Tuesday stemmed from a well-defined low-pressure zone near the Gulf Coast. Developed into a violent squall line, the storms traveled over 650 miles from East Texas to Florida.
The squall line unleashed damaging winds, with several peak gusts exceeding 70 to 80 mph from Southeast Texas to the Florida Panhandle.
Reports of Deaths, Injuries, and Flash Flooding Inundate States
According to preliminary reports, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency confirmed one fatality in Scott County and one injury in Grenada County, and approximately 72 homes damaged across the state. A tragic incident involved a 64-year-old woman who lost her life after her home lost power due to the storm, causing her electric oxygen machine to shut down.
Widespread rainfall caused extensive flash floods, with New Orleans and Tallahassee experiencing record-breaking April precipitation. New Orleans witnessed its third-wettest April day on record, receiving over 6 inches, while Tallahassee had over 7 inches of rainfall since Wednesday night. The resultant high water levels flooded roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles in multiple locations.
On the coast of Alabama, Mobile Bay experienced a significant water rise that inundated roadways and trapped vehicles on the U.S. 90 Causeway and Interstate 10. Strong southwesterly winds pushed water onto the shore ahead of the squall line, causing the bay to swell.
Further Thunderstorm Threat Details Across Different Regions
Additional storms are anticipated as the low-pressure zone continues to sweep northeast, eventually reaching the eastern Great Lakes. The Storm Prediction Center suggests varying levels of severe weather risks across different areas, including Canton and Charleston in the Ohio Valley (Level 3 of 5), Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Columbus in Ohio (Level 2 of 5), and Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa in Florida (Level 2 of 5).
Other areas in the risk zone include Washington, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Charlotte, and Fort Myers, experiencing lower risks (Level 1 out of 5).
The greatest tornado risk remains in southeast Ohio, western West Virginia, and parts of northwest Virginia.
Widespread rainfall predictions of 1 to 2 inches in many regions may lead to isolated flooding.
Showers and storms, potentially severe, are expected to increase in the central Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic regions, prevailing into the evening in eastern areas. Severe weather is expected to be limited, though, due to the lower availability of heat during nighttime.
Furthermore, the storm’s progression into the weekend will generate strong northwest winds with widespread gusts of 35 to 45 mph across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, potentially stronger in mountainous and coastal areas.
Additional showers and potentially gusty storms are probable for Friday and Saturday, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern areas.
By early next week, the storm system will move out of the region, but another disturbance is projected to initiate a significant severe weather outbreak in the central states on Monday and Tuesday.
*Annabelle Timsit contributed to this report.
