Cold front to spur tornado, flood threat along I-95 corridor as storms span East Coast
The greatest hazards will come in the form of damaging winds and torrential rainfall, which could be disruptive impacts to travel ahead of the frontal boundary.
Thursday's thunderstorm outlook
FOX Weather meteorologist Ian Oliver explains who will see the rainfall on Thursday as a cold front works eastward.
NEW YORK – An advancing cold front is expected to spark widespread showers and thunderstorms from New England to the Gulf Coast on Thursday, with unsettled weather forecast to linger into Friday, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
While many of the storms that develop will be more isolated or of the pop-up variety, forecasters warn that a handful could reach strong to severe levels.
The greatest hazards will come in the form of damaging winds and torrential rainfall, which could be disruptive impacts to travel ahead of the frontal boundary.
"This boundary finds its way farther to the east, closer to the East Coast of the United States … with the flood potential, but also the outside chance for some strong and severe storms," said FOX Weather meteorologist Ian Oliver.
(FOX Weather)
Forecast models suggest rainfall totals could climb to as much as 3 inches across portions of eastern Pennsylvania and into southwestern New England, with localized amounts possibly exceeding those figures where storms repeatedly track over the same areas.
The Storm Prediction Center noted that while the atmosphere does not appear to have the necessary ingredients to produce a severe weather outbreak, an isolated tornado or two cannot be ruled out.
To reflect the limited nature of the hazards, the SPC has placed much of the Eastern Seaboard under a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms, which is the lowest level on its five-tiered scale and usually does not foretell the issuance of either a Tornado Watch or a Severe Thunderstorm Watch box due to the isolated nature of the event.
Still, the FOX Forecast Center cautioned that a few storms could still pack a punch with wind gusts of 58 mph or greater in the stronger cells. That is strong enough to topple trees, snap branches and knock out power.
Expected rainfall forecast
(FOX Weather)
TROPICAL STORM HUMBERTO FORMS IN ATLANTIC
Localized flooding is another concern where storms develop and repeatedly pass over the same communities, a phenomenon known as training.
Areas with poor drainage, such as urban centers, may be particularly vulnerable to standing water on roads and highways, which could create travel headaches during the evening and overnight hours.
On the other hand, many communities that have gone weeks without significant rainfall may welcome the moisture, as drought concerns have been building across parts of the East.
For most, the cold front will exit off the East Coast on Friday, bringing an end to the rainy weather but for areas south of the Interstate 10 corridor, the chance for scattered showers will continue through the weekend.
Thursday severe weather forecast
(FOX Weather)