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Severe Thunderstorms Tonight in the Mid-Atlantic; Tropical Storm Bertha in the Gulf

Scattered thunderstorms with severe gusts, hail and a tornado risk are possible near a cold front from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic tonight. Tropical Storm Bertha is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to portions of the Gulf Coast from the panhandle of Florida into Louisiana through Wednesday. Read More >


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The above image is a radar loop of the supercell severe storms that moved across the Midlands Saturday afternoon. The time of this loop runs from around 4 pm until 8 pm.

Below is a still radar image of a classic supercell thunderstorm from this event. The strongest storms which spawned tornadoes and produced the most damage all showed a couple of similar characteristics. The first is the hook (A) that is evident in the reflectivity pattern on the southern side of the supercell. This is the location where a tornado would be expected. Another is the very high reflectivity values (B) in the northern part of the supercell, which is indicative of the large hail that accompanied many of these storms, as large as golf balls.