Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Severe Weather, Heavy Rainfall Threat Eastern U.S. Today...


Above is the latest severe weather outlook for today from the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman, OK.  Severe storms with damaging winds are a significant threat within the red and yellow shaded areas on the image, and to a somewhat lesser degree within the surrounding brown shaded areas.

There is also a risk of a few tornadoes today, especially within the yellow and brown shaded areas on the image below:


Thunderstorms are already underway in earnest across the southeast, as you can see on the latest regional radar snapshot below:


A Tornado Watch was just issued for the North Carolina portion of this activity, and is likely only the first of several watches to be issued across the Eastern Seaboard today:


In addition to the threat of severe weather, heavy rainfall and flash flooding will also be a significant concern in many areas.  The latest rainfall forecast for today is shown below, and you can see widespread amounts of 1-3 inches (plus) are forecast across the region:


Amounts will be locally heavier in some areas that experience repeat thunderstorms, with 4 inches or more of rain possible in those areas today.

If you live or have travel plans across this region, please be alert.  Listen to NOAA Weather Radio, local media or another trusted source for the latest information and possible warnings.  If you are in the severe weather threat area for today, please make sure to have a sheltering plan in place for home, work or school so that you can move there quickly if threatening weather is observed or a warning is issued for your location.

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