Thunderstorms Rattle Tennessee Valley Into the Evening
April 26, 2012; 3:41 PM
5:30 P.M. UPDATE: A line of severe storms from West Virginia to Kentucky to Tennessee is pressing southward. Large hail up to the size of tennis balls have already fallen.
An active day weather-wise is ongoing for the Tennessee Valley and portions of the Carolinas with an outbreak of severe weather likely for many locations.
Mother Nature did not waste any time getting the strong storms under way this morning. Early Thursday morning, a complex of showers and thunderstorms sliding through Kentucky produced damaging winds which knocked tress down in central portions of the state. Along with the winds, the storms also produced hail greater than 1.00 inch in diameter.
An area of low pressure crossing into the mid-Atlantic is responsible for the active weather. The associated cold front extending south from the system will serve as the focal point for severe weather through early tonight as the front interacts with warm and humid air.
As the front tracks to the southeast, it will produce widespread showers and thunderstorms from Tennessee to eastern North Carolina as it cuts through the warm and unstable air ahead of it.
AccuWeather.com meteorologists believe that many of these storms will continue to become severe.
These storms will be capable of producing large hail up to the size of quarters and golf balls as well as damaging winds. Heavy downpours will also be possible which could lead to areas of flash and urban flooding, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
Cities in a corridor from Nashville to Charlotte and Raleigh will be at risk for these strong to potentially damaging storms.
During the evening, these storms will move into extreme northern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Shortly after sunset, the threat for these strong and severe storms will gradually diminish.
The cold front is likely to stall near the southern Tennessee border tonight.
Unfortunately for those across much of the Southeast, this system will not provide any relief from the drought conditions.
With the main storm track remaining north of the region, the region will continue to be dry through the end of the week.
Farther west, strong thunderstorms from western Nebraska south into the northern Texas panhandle early tonight, can produce damaging winds, large hail and even isolated tornadoes.
A recap of this morning's activity:
11:30 A.M. UPDATE: Heavy rain is the primary threat as line of thunderstorms move towards Raleigh, N.C. The severity of the thunderstorms has since diminished from earlier this morning. With a cold front still aiming toward the Tennessee Valley this afternoon, strong thunderstorm can re-fire across the region.
10:20 A.M. UPDATE: Thunderstorms with a history of damaging winds and large hail have diminished in intensity as they move into central North Carolina to northwest South Carolina and northern Georgia. Nonetheless, heavy rain, gusty winds and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning will remain a threat through the morning as the storms advance farther east and south. The outlook for this afternoon features more strong thunderstorms that can develop along a cold front currently positioned from central Ohio to southeast Missouri and into central Oklahoma. The highest risk for severe thunderstorms will be across the eastern Ohio Valley along with the Tennessee Valley.
9:20 A.M. UPDATE: Strong thunderstorms are crossing into western North Carolina along with northwest South Carolina. Frequent cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, damaging winds, and blinding downpours are the most serious threats associated with these storms. Cities from Winston-Salem, N.C. to Charlotte, N.C. to the Greenville-Spartanburg region of northwest South Carolina should be on alert for these thunderstorms over the next 1-2 hours. The western extent of the line of thunderstorms will move into northern Georgia as well, prompting similar risk as mentioned above.
8:20 A.M. UPDATE: A line of severe thunderstorms, capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 55 mph, are plowing through areas from Kingsport, Tenn. to Knoxville, Tenn. and is heading toward Chattanooga, Tenn. Lightning data indicates that over 3,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were associated with these thunderstorms and frequent, dangerous lightning, will continue with this line of thunderstorms over the next several hours. Blinding downpours can cause flash flooding in the region as well, and large hail cannot be ruled out.
We expect the line of dangerous thunderstorms to move into North Carolina later this morning. The thunderstorms can help spark strong thunderstorms later this afternoon across northwest South Carolina west into northern Georgia and Alabama.
Story updated by Andy Mussoline, Meteorologist