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Severe Weather Troubles Continue to Target Mid-Atlantic

May 28, 2022
By WeatherBug Meteorologist Matt Mehallow
An active weather pattern will continue this evening and tonight as a cold front slowly advances east toward the East Coast. It will bring the potential for scattered strong to severe storms across the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic, with more isolated severe storms possible in the Northeast and Southeast. Severe storms will also be possible in the northern High Plains.

The main focus for today's severe weather extends from the northern Mid-Atlantic into the Carolinas as a storm system slowly pushes through the Ohio Valley and a cold front heads eastward. This front will be interacting with a very moist and unstable airmass advancing up across the coastal plain, and has resulted in numerous areas of heavy showers and thunderstorms across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast today.

The moisture-rich atmosphere in place thanks to southerly flow from the Gulf of Mexico will result in showers and thunderstorms being capable of producing heavy rain throughout the Carolinas to Mid-Atlantic. Downpours from today’s storms could overwhelm storm drains and produce flash flooding. Currently, Flood Watches are posted throughout parts of Maryland, into eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. 

In the Northeast and parts of the Southeast, more isolated severe weather is possible as the storm system's cold front moves into these regions. These storms could produce gusty winds and hail.

Elsewhere, the severe weather threat in the northern Plains will likely trigger thunderstorms this evening and tonight as the atmosphere becomes unstable from northern Wyoming into southeastern Montana. As thunderstorms move eastward, damaging winds will become the main threat as this activity turns into a fast-moving line pushing through southeast Montana, southwest North Dakota and northwest South Dakota. This activity could impact parts of the central Dakotas, before weakening during the early evening as instability decreases across the region. This unsettled activity will continue and intensify into Saturday, leading to more weather troubles in the area. 

Be sure to understand the difference between a weather watch and a warning. A watch means that an area is being monitored for dangerous weather. A warning means that dangerous weather is imminent. When a warning is issued, there may be too little time to travel across town or across a county to escape the storm. The time to have a plan of action and move to the general vicinity of a storm shelter or safe area is when a watch is issued.

Keep in mind that lightning is one of Mother Nature's most dangerous killers. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning, even if the sun is shining.

Also remember, "Turn Around, Don't Drown" when coming to flooded roadways. Be sure to download the WeatherBug smartphone application so you can check the latest watches and warnings. The app also includes Spark, which tells you where the nearest lightning is so you can quickly get to safety before a storm arrives.