Midwest, Ohio Valley pelted by damaging hail and vicious wind gusts as brief temperature plunge spreads east
The cold front associated with Thursday's storms is spreading east and will usher in a brief winter flashback, with temperatures plunging into the 30s and 40s by Saturday before quickly rebounding to more spring-like weather.
Severe storms slam Midwest, Ohio Valley as cold front ushers in quick cooldown for eastern U.S.
Severe storms blasted parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio with hail and strong wind gusts as storms weaken and rain spreads east. The associated cold front has dropped temperatures across the Midwest by more than 20 degrees. Meanwhile, parts of the Northeast and New England will drop back into the 40s and 30s by Saturday before spring warmth returns.
Severe storms blasted parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley with powerful wind gusts and large hail Thursday. The cold front associated with Thursday's storms is spreading east and will usher in a brief winter flashback, with temperatures plunging into the 30s and 40s by Saturday before quickly rebounding to more spring-like weather.
WINTER DELIVERS FINAL PUNCH TO NORTHEAST WITH SNOW AS HEAVY RAIN TARGETS THE SOUTHEAST
Scattered storms were ongoing overnight and early Friday across the Midwest, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
![Severe storms loom in the distance near Jewell, Ohio Thursday.]()
Image 1 of 2Severe storms loom in the distance near Jewell, Ohio Thursday. (@StephBuckeyeFan/X)
![Severe storms blast Bryan, Ohio with large hail Thursday.]()
Image 2 of 2Severe storms blast Bryan, Ohio with large hail Thursday. (Laura Robinson/Facebook)
The National Weather Service (NWS) received top wind gust reports approaching 65 mph through Thursday evening across a corridor from eastern Illinois through Indiana and Ohio to parts of western Pennsylvania.
These powerful gusts were the main reason why NOAA's Storm Prediction Center upgraded the severe weather threat in that region to a Level 3 out of 5 ahead of the storms on Wednesday.
A Level 2 out of 5 threat covered a wider area, including Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
Sound Up: Severe storms lash Sidney, Ohio
Severe storms lashed FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Corey Gerken in Sidney, Ohio Thursday night.
A layer of warm air in the atmosphere created an "atmospheric cap" that prevented the formation of tornado-producing storms. Instead, storms were forced into a large line that produced strong wind gusts and large hail.
The NWS received reports of egg-sized hail in Henry County, Ohio.
HAWAII RECOVERS FROM DEVASTATING FLOODS AFTER BACK-TO-BACK KONA LOW SYSTEMS DRENCH ST
A hailstorm that produced hailstones a little larger than an inch in diameter blasted Bryan, Ohio, Thursday. Images from Bryan shared with FOX Weather showed hail blanketing a suburban neighborhood.
Watch: Ping pong ball-sized hail blasts Bryan, Ohio
Severe storms lashed Bryan, Ohio Thursday evening with ping-pong ball-sized hail.
Storms rumbled through the Ohio Valley well into the evening, with strong wind gusts and heavy rain lashing FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Corey Gerken's vehicle in Sidney, Ohio.
A strengthening dip in the jet stream over eastern Canada drove the cold front through the Great Lakes and into the Ohio Valley, as the system moved around a large heat dome that is currently baking the western part of the country.
SPLIT IN THE POLAR VORTEX COULD MEAN ONE LAST HURRAH FOR WINTER ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER
Storms are expected to taper off through the day, with a few afternoon thunderstorms possible across the Carolinas and Virginia.
Winter's last gasp
Most of the rain is expected to be offshore by Saturday morning, but temperatures are plunging behind the storms' associated cold front.
St. Louis had already dropped 20 degrees on Friday and low temperatures across the Midwest and Northeast will be in the 20s and 30s Saturday morning.
(FOX Weather)
The winter-like cold extends through the first half of the weekend, with more than 100 million people experiencing below average temperatures on Saturday from Maine to South Carolina.
Spring warmth will quickly begin to rebound with warmth returning Sunday and increasing through the first half of the workweek.