Severe weather shifts south, threatening the Carolinas and Georgia after week of nasty storms
A level 2 out of 5 severe storm stretches from Kentucky to Virginia to South Carolina, with Lexington, Wilmington, Raleigh, Charlotte, Norfolk, Virginia and Knoxville, Tennessee in the threat.
Severe storms taking shape across the Southeast with heavy rain, flooding possible
FOX Weather Meteorologists Michael Estime and Melanie Black bring you the latest as severe weather again takes shape across the country as millions gear up for their Labor Day plans.
THE TAKEAWAY
- An active weather pattern continues Sunday, packing rounds of nasty storms each day this week.
- Over 500,000 homes were without power as severe storms moved through on Saturday.
- More severe storms are shifting south and will impact the Carolinas and Georgia today.
Severe weather is shifting south and will impact millions of people in the Southeast amid a multiday threat that will last through the day Sunday.
The relentless severe weather threat has been ongoing since early last week, leaving thousands without power and causing dangerous flash flooding in Ohio and parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
SEE YOUR LABOR DAY WEEKEND FORECAST
According to the FOX Forecast Center, there have been nearly 1,000 severe storm reports across the North and the East since Tuesday.
Gusty winds uproot tree in Michigan yard during severe storms
Severe storms on Thursday rattled Michigan, leaving thousands without power and causing damage across major cities like Detroit. Security camera video from Port Huron shows a homeowner standing on their porch before returning inside. A few moments later, winds pick up, knocking over a trash can and uprooting a large tree and sending it crashing into the road.
Damaging winds swept across portions of the Ohio Valley into the southern Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas in the afternoon and evening.
On Sunday, as millions celebrate the holiday weekend, storms will continue to shift south along the East Coast, targeting South Carolina and Georgia, where a Level 2 out of 5 severe storm threat is present.
(FOX Weather)
As a slow-moving cold front pushes south, cities such as Charleston and Savannah are facing a threat of strong to severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts and downbursts.
Storm damage recap
Strong wind gusts produced a 470-mile swath of damage reports from southern Michigan to Delaware on Thursday.
Watch: Intense thunderstorms trigger flash flooding in Buffalo, New York
Intense rain rates triggered flooding across parts of Buffalo, New York, Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026, breaking a daily rain record set back in 1878.
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield said severe storms caused "significant damage" to parts of the city. Aerial images shared by the mayor's social media account showed at least one building destroyed and another with its roof torn off.
Buffalo, New York, set a daily rain record with over 3 inches of rain. Pockets of flash flooding were seen across the city.
Watch: Springfield, Ohio, first responders rescue people from flash floods
Firefighters and police went door-to-door in some neighborhoods of Springfield, Ohio, on Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026, rescuing people after intense thunderstorms caused flash flooding.
Firefighters and police went door-to-door in parts of Springfield, Ohio, rescuing people after intense thunderstorms caused flash flooding.
The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department said heavy rain caused flooding that brought down trees and power lines.
Tree falls onto row home in Washington, D.C. on Sep. 3, 2026.
(@dcfireems/X / FOX Weather)
Strong wind gusts took down numerous trees in the nation's capital. A large tree fell on a row house in Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill neighborhood Thursday night. The DC Fire and EMS Department said everyone was evacuated safely.
The severe weather pattern began Tuesday and has pounded parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic with days of rain, damaging wind gusts and hail.