Storms Will Roam Eastern Half of the U.S. Through Friday

As heat builds over the central and eastern U.S., several rounds of thunderstorms are expected to fire up along the northern flank of the heat dome. The peak of the activity is forecast for Thursday, bringing the potential of tornadoes. Here is a look at the volatile forecast.

Stormy Conditions to Accompany the Heat in the Central and Eastern U.S.

Damaging winds, hail, and flash flooding are all on the table as thunderstorms ignite across the central and eastern U.S in the days ahead. Forecasters are also warning tornadoes could spin up in the strongest storm cells. The high humidity levels could produce low clouds and heavy rain that obscure the visibility of twisters, further enhancing the risk.

A surge of moisture circulating in the atmosphere will generate widespread cloud cover. The cloudy conditions will work to minimize the intense sunshine marked by the beginning of the summer season. However, the building heat dome will contribute enough warming to fuel the development of potent storms capable of tapping into the excess amount of moisture already in place.

The location of the storms over some of the busiest airport hubs in the U.S. will translate to a high likelihood of flight delays. Prolonged ground stops will also be a possibility through the weekend.

Wednesday's activity trained over parts of the Interstate 95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic. These storms will continue in the hours ahead as a large ripple in the jet stream moves from the Midwest to the Northeast. This ripple will be responsible for many of the most powerful storms.

Storms to Push Into the Appalachians and Atlantic Seaboard on Thursday

The same weather maker that menaced the central U.S. on Wednesday will move into the Appalachians and over to the Atlantic Seaboard by Thursday afternoon and evening. The chance of severe storms on Thursday will stretch from northern Georgia and the South Carolina Midlands to the north and into northwestern Maine.

The busy urban centers located along the Interstate 95 corridor could experience the third day of severe storms. Meteorologists are predicting that Thursday's action could be the most significant of the last few days.

The highest concentration of severe weather will be in a zone from northern Vermont to the south into central portions of North Carolina. Similarly, the greatest risk of tornadoes will be in eastern Pennsylvania and up into the northern reaches of New England.

Washington, D.C. will start the day on a docile note with storms expected to be a nuisance by the afternoon and evening hours. It will be a toasty day in the nation's capital, with a high of about 91 degrees. Winds will be whipping around from the southwest at 10 to 20 mph.

While the threat of severe weather will not be as high to the south in Roanoke, Virginia, this part of the mid-Atlantic will still be under the gun for rain showers in the afternoon hours. The forecast is calling for a high of about 86 degrees, winds out of the west-southwest at 10 to 20 mph, and overnight lows that slide into the mid 60s.

A secondary area of storms is forecast to pop up over the Upper Midwest. The primary impacts of this storm system will be high winds, hail, and heavy rain. Motorists will want to be prepared for the reduced visibility and ponding on the roadways in this region.

For instance, while the day will be mostly calm in places such as Fargo, North Dakota, that could change in the overnight hours when storms come to life. After a high that reaches the mid 80s during the peak afternoon heating hours, temperatures will settle in the mid 60s after the sun goes down in Fargo.

Friday's Forecast Calling for More Storms in the Northern U.S.

The bulk of the storms on Friday will form along the northern edge of a dome of high pressure responsible for the rising temperatures. The storms are likely to be the most widespread across eastern North Dakota and to the east into northern Michigan. Like the activity earlier in the week, the strongest storm cells could generate tornadoes in addition to hail, damaging winds, and torrential rainfall.

Grand Forks, North Dakota, will see the chances of storms increase in the latter part of the day and into the overnight hours. Temperatures in the upper 80s will serve as tinder for the storm development. Overnight lows will bottom out in the mid 60s.

Duluth, Minnesota, will miss out on the heat but not the storms. This part of the region is forecast to see morning fog with clouds remaining in the afternoon. It will be a cool day with highs that top out at about 60 degrees and winds out of the east-northeast at 10 to 15 mph. Conditions will deteriorate overnight with thunderstorms coming together over the region. Duluth should expect rainfall of over an inch, lows in the mid 50s, and winds hitting speeds of 20 mph.

The forecast models indicate that the storms will move along the northern tier of the heat dome, moving into the Upper Midwest and parts of the Northeast as the work week comes to an end. These cells will also carry the risk of derechos. A derecho is a long-lived storm that remains on the ground for hundreds of miles.

Forecasters are also warning that any thunderstorm complex churning over the top of the dome could dip to the south when it reaches the Atlantic coastline next week. From there, the leftover energy and moisture could evolve into a tropical rainstorm off the coast of the Carolinas by the end of June. This will be a possibility that forecasters will continue to monitor in the days ahead.

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