Severe storms from the South to the Northeast put a damper on Easter travel
Severe storms pummeling an area stretching from the South to the Northeast could put a damper on many people’s Easter weekend travel plans.
On Friday, this same weather system brought severe weather to the South and Midwest, with more than 70 reports of baseball-sized hail in southern Wisconsin.
Around 14 million people are at risk of severe weather from Texas to Ohio Saturday, including in Dallas and Cincinnati. The main threats Saturday are large hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes.
On Saturday morning, a long line of showers and thunderstorms are threatening a region stretching from Texas to the Northeast. The strongest storms are expected to start in the late afternoon for hours over central Texas, then expand east through the overnight hours. There is an enhanced risk of storms over parts of central Texas, including Abilene and San Angelo, where the risk is highest for very large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
Flight cancelations and delays have already started Saturday morning in Texas’ Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, with 47 cancelations and 263 delays, according to FlightAware.com.
Rounds of heavy rain caused flooding Friday, and the risk of more flooding is expected Saturday, with a moderate risk of flash flooding extending from north-central Texas to Missouri. Around 10 million people are under Flood Alerts form Texas to Illinois, including St Louis, Missouri; Springfield, Ohio; Tulsa and Oklahoma City are included in these alerts through Sunday evening as storm totals range from 3 to 5 inches, with up to 7 inches possible in some areas.
On Easter Sunday, 11 million people are at risk for thunderstorms from east Texas to Illinois, including in St. Louis; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Shreveport, Louisiana. Tornado activity is possible, with the greatest risk for tornadoes and damaging winds over Missouri and into western Illinois.
This weather pattern will also create a divide well above and well below average temperatures through the weekend. Highs in the Rockies, Plains and Southwest will drop 10 to 30 degrees below average, with temperatures maxing out in the 40’s to 70’s.
Meanwhile, from the South to the Northeast, highs will soar 10 to 20 degrees above average, with temperatures maxing out in the 70’s to 90’s. A few record highs will be threatened this afternoon in Tampa, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Highs will stay about 10 to 15 degrees above average across the Southeast through Sunday and into early next week.
