Stormy Weekend on the Horizon for the Eastern Half of the Nation

The rocky weather pattern that has impacted much of the central U.S. this week is going to march into the eastern and southern parts of the country this weekend. Here is a closer look at when and where to expect the threat of severe weather to derail outdoor plans.

Stormy Conditions Expand to the East This Weekend

The storm outbreak that hammered the central U.S. on Tuesday through Thursday generated almost 1,200 reports of severe weather incidents. The majority of the impacts came in the form of high winds; however, almost 40 tornadoes were also reported. The high winds whipped up in the nation's heartland before expanding into the Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic. As of Friday morning, there were still more than 500,000 customers without power.

Friday's storm activity set up over two primary areas, with storms impactingthe southern Plains in a zone from eastern and central New Mexico into West Texas, the southeastern corner of Colorado, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and southwestern Kansas. Once again, damaging hail and strong winds will be the primary threats. There is also the possibility of a few tornadoes spinning up in northeastern New Mexico through southeastern Colorado.

The second zone of storms is forecast to ignite farther east from middle Tennessee and northern Mississippi to the north all the way up into Quebec, Canada. The greatest concentration of storms will churn across a swath of real estate from central Virginia and West Virginia up into western Massachusetts and southeastern New York. This includes major urban areas such as Richmond, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.