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Widespread Showers in the Eastern US; Severe Thunderstorms in the Plains; Heatwave in the Desert Southwest

Widespread showers and thunderstorms across much of the central and eastern U.S. will produce areas of excessive rainfall, especially in the southern Mid-Atlantic states. Scattered severe thunderstorms are expected from Montana into portions of the central/southern Plains this weekend. A heatwave will build in the Desert Southwest, in parts of Arizona, southeastern California, and southern Nevada. Read More >

 

Severe storms are expected to affect much of the area overnight with tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds, and cloud-to-ground lightning possible. Ensure wireless emergency alerts are enabled on your cell phone. If you have a NOAA Weather Radio, set it to alert mode so you can be awakened if a warning is issued.

Severe weather that occurs overnight can increase personal vulnerability and have significant potential impact on the public. This is due to:

  - Public is less likely to receive warnings overnight as many people are asleep.

  - Tornadoes are much more difficult to spot at night.

  - People who are inside vulnerable housing/building structures such as mobile homes.

  - Nighttime tornadoes are more likely to cause fatalities than daytime tornadoes.

  - People often are less aware of severe storm potential in the winter season.

Stay tuned to the National Weather Service for the latest information. Have a plan of action in place and ready to go if severe weather threatens or a warning is issued. More tornado safety information can be found at this link.