Over 50 million at risk for severe storms Sunday after days of heat-fueled Northeast weather
Storms are expected to fire off during the afternoon hours, with the primary threat being damaging wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph within organized lines or clusters, though a few tornadoes remain possible.
Millions at risk as renewed threats of destructive winds, possible tornadoes loom for Northeast
The Northeast is bracing for another round of severe storms on Sunday. Damaging wind gusts up to 65 mph will be possible as a level 2/5 severe threat targets over 50 million Americans. Latest:
The Northeast remains under the threat of severe weather on Sunday, on the heels of the Thursday and Friday severe weather events that were fueled by near-record heat, with temperatures reaching the mid-90s from the Carolinas to New York City.
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While Thursday's storms knocked out power to 61,000 customers in Western Pennsylvania, across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, severe weather threatened more than 70 million people from Kentucky to Vermont on Friday afternoon.
A tent collapsed at EastLake Community Church in Bedford County due to a severe weather incident (Don Shire)
After a busy week of storms and a brief lull on Saturday, the severe weather threat isn't over yet. Another disturbance will move into the Northeast through the end of the weekend, bringing a Level 2 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms.
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The threat area stretches from Raleigh, North Carolina, through Washington, D.C. into Philadelphia, New York City and into Boston and Upstate New York, including over 50 million on Sunday.
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As storms are expected to fire off during the afternoon hours, the primary threat will be damaging wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph within organized lines or clusters, though a few tornadoes remain possible.
A Severe Thunderstorm warned system swiftly moved through New York City Friday afternoon. (FOX Weather)
The two primary areas for storm development will be the Northern Mid-Atlantic—east of the Allegheny Mountains—and the upper Ohio Valley into the lower Great Lakes.
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That said, the FOX Forecast Center notes that computer models are slightly divided on exactly how widespread and intense these storms will be.
For severe storms to form, the heat and humidity will need to build up ahead of an approaching cold front.
However, if earlier showers pass through the area first, their leftover cool air could stabilize the atmosphere and act like a wet blanket, weakening the afternoon severe threat.
Conversely, if the skies clear and allow the air to become hot and humid, fast-moving winds higher up in the atmosphere will easily trigger and organize severe storms.
Should the earlier showers not come to fruition, the main line of storms will develop during the afternoon across the interior Northeast, while likely reaching the I-95 corridor just before or after dark, the FOX Forecast Center said.