Damaging Storms Continue To Lash The Plains, Mid-Atlantic | WeatherBug
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Damaging Storms Continue To Lash The Plains, Mid-Atlantic

May 24, 2019
Updated by Weatherbug's Meteorologist, Brian Dillon
Severe thunderstorms continue to bash portions of the southern Plains and Mid-Atlantic early Friday morning, bringing large hail, damaging winds, heavy rain, and isolated tornadoes. 

Cooler, drier air is clashing with warm, humid air across the Mid-Atlantic this evening, producing showers and thunderstorms across eastern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland.  Accompanying these thunderstorms early this morning are briefly windy conditions, heavy rainfall, and small hail. 

Earlier this afternoon, severe thunderstorms raced across Maryland, and brought plenty of turbulent weather. As these thunderstorms raced to the southeast across the state, severe weather was reported.  An EF-1 tornado was reported in Columbia, Md., that produced roof damage, while winds gusted up to 68 mph at Reagan (Washington) National Airport. More than 150,000 people were without electricity at one point across the Washington D.C. metro area. 

Further west, across the southern Plains, another system is interacting with cool dry air across the northern plains, and warm humid air flowing northward from the Gulf of Mexico. The Storm Prediction Center has issued an Enhanced Risk for severe thunderstorms across south-central Texas northward into western Oklahoma and south-central Kansas. Due to this threat for severe thunderstorms, Tornado Watches and Severe Thunderstorm Watches are in effect over these portions of the southern Plains. Cities included within this area of active weather are Lubbock and Canadian, Texas, and Medicine Lodge, Salina, and Wichita, Kan. Other cities that may see the threat for severe thunderstorms early Friday morning are Amarillo, Texas, Gage, Okla., Manhattan and Emporia, Kan., and portions of eastern Nebraska, including Omaha. Multiple tornadoes have been reported from Canadian, Texas northeastward to Buffalo, Okla., along with large hail to the size of golf balls. 

Torrential rain will continue to accompany the more robust thunderstorms and flash flooding will be likely, especially in cities in the southern Plains that have been plagued by flooding over the last several days. If you plan on doing any travelling on the road tonight, be sure to “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” if you come across a flooded road way because the water could be much deeper than it appears.
 
The system that is moving across the Mid-Atlantic Thursday evening produced multiple severe weather reports across the Midwest and Middle Mississippi Valley on Wednesday evening. Across Missouri, a massive tornado ripped through Jefferson City, Mo., producing wind gusts to EF-3 levels. Several strong wind reports occurred across the Midwest, including wind gusts to 83 mph in Watseka, Ill., and 73 mph in Monoquet, Ind. Multiple wind gusts higher than 60 mph occurred across portions of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
 
Keep in mind that lightning is one of Mother Nature's most dangerous killers. “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors” because if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning, even if the sun is shining.