National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Tracking Two Storms Impacting the Northern U.S. Through Thanksgiving and into This Weekend

Heavy lake effect snow, gusty winds, and localized blizzard conditions will persist through Thanksgiving near and downwind of the Great Lakes. Rain and mountain snow are forecast for the Pacific Northwest. Confidence is increasing for another winter storm to develop over the northern and central Rockies Friday and track across the central Plains through the Midwest and Great Lakes this weekend. Read More >

Overview

A complex weather system set up as an area of low pressure pushed across the Tennessee Valley on Saturday, May 5, 2018. Initially, a few supercell-like thunderstorms produced large hail due to their rotation and stronger updrafts near the Virginia border. A bowing line of storms then brought damaging wind gusts into the Lake Cumberland region later in the afternoon. There were multiple reports of large hail in some of the stronger storms in southeast Kentucky, with the largest hail occurring in Harlan County near Loyall.

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2.5 inch hail seen NW of Loyall
(Courtesy of Tammy Hyatt from Andrew Dockery WYMT Facebook).