Severe Storms on Tap for the Weekend for Eastern Half of US

Posted: August 14, 2021 2:01 pm

Cooler Air and Lower Humidity a Welcome Relief Despite Stormy Pattern

It has been an active weather pattern in the Midwest and Northeast lately thanks to the clash of cool air with hot and humid conditions. This pattern is expected to continue for the next few days, bringing the chance of severe weather for millions of Americans.

Stormy Days to March On

Severe storms have been the story of the week for large areas of the Midwest and Northeast. Widespread storms on Wednesday left over one million people without power on Thursday. As of Friday, there were still over 750,000 people without power in a swath of land stretching from the Great Lakes through the Ohio Valley and down into the central Appalachians. A bulk of these power outages were located in Michigan.

Heat the Story in the East and Southeast

While the middle part of the nation grapples with storms, the East Coast and the Southeast have been melting under a heatwave. Real feel temperatures have soared to over 100 degrees in many areas as the heat and humidity have paired up with intense sunshine to deliver miserable conditions.

A number of daily high-temperature records may be in jeopardy of falling into the weekend before the heat breaks. Both Baltimore and Washington, DC, came close to breaking the record high of 99 degrees on Thursday. Baltimore finished the day with a high of 98 degrees while the nation’s capital reached 96 degrees.

Just 26 miles outside of DC, Dulles International Airport hit the century mark, breaking the previous record of 98 degrees set in 2002. New York’s La Guardia Airport also tied the 2016 record of 98 degrees.

In addition to the heat in the eastern half of the nation, the Pacific Northwest is also under the grips of an intense heatwave. This puts over 158 million Americans, approximately half of the total population, under some type of excessive heat watch or warning.

Cooler Air on the Way for Some

The good news is that relief is on the way for some parts of the US. A large pocket of cool air is predicted to sweep over the Midwest by the weekend, dropping the mercury about 10-20 degrees. This will bring more moderate temperatures to parts of the central Plains, the Ohio Valley, and the East Coast by Saturday and Sunday. A decrease in the humidity levels will also make temperatures feel much more tolerable.

Cool Weather to Spark Storms

While the arrival of this cooler air will be a welcome relief for most people, it also brings the chance of more severe weather outbreaks. As the edge of the cooler and less humid air moves to the east, it may stall and generate storm activity. This will be most likely at the front of the air mass in an area stretching from the southern Plains and into the interior portions of the South and the lower mid-Atlantic. The conditions will trigger persistent rain and thunderstorms into the early part of next week for this region.

In addition to the arrival of the cool air, the remnants of what is now Tropical Depression Fred could add even more moisture to the Southeast. This could raise the threat of flooding across the Appalachians and up and down the Atlantic coast into the early part of next week.

Deadly Week Due to Storms

It has already been a deadly week because of the ongoing storm threat. A lightning strike in the Bronx left one 13-year-old dead and six others injured. A 53-year-old man in Washington County, Pennsylvania, lost his life when a tree fell on his vehicle.

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