On Monday, tornadoes and wind gusts reaching 90 mph struck Nebraska and Kansas, bringing a massive cold front eastward on Tuesday. This cold front now threatens severe weather for over 112 million people across a 3,000-mile stretch from Texas up to New England.
The storm prompted a tornado emergency in Pawnee County, Nebraska, and as of early Tuesday, about 24,000 customers were still without power in Kansas and Missouri.
Wind gusts severely impacted southern and central Michigan, leaving over 35,000 residents in the dark as Tuesday morning arrived.
Texas also remains under threat, with large hail stones, some reaching up to 2 inches, posing a risk in the state’s northern and central areas.
Prior to the cold front, record high temperatures in the 90s have enveloped much of the Southeast, mid-Atlantic, and Northeast. This heat will likely fuel storm development as the cold front progresses.
Severe weather is anticipated in the eastern Great Lakes as well as the valleys in Ohio and Tennessee.
Quarter-sized hail and damaging winds are expected to be the primary threats, but there’s a chance of tornadoes developing within the line of thunderstorms that may form.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center has rated the severe thunderstorm threat as Level 2 on a scale of 5. This warning extends from the Big Bend region of Texas to northern Vermont.
Storms reach the East Coast on Wednesday
A cold front is set to arrive in the Northeast by Wednesday, aiming to break the heat wave with thunderstorms that could bring strong winds and large hail along the I-95 corridor, stretching from Boston to Richmond, Virginia.
This marks the final phase of a severe weather threat that has persisted since last Wednesday. Continuous storms have plagued areas, particularly Iowa and Nebraska, since Friday.
Following the storms, temperatures are expected to fall back into the 60s along the Interstate 95, likely remaining cool through the Memorial Day weekend.
