The National Weather Service has issued a very large Tornado Watch that includes all of New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, portions of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York, and includes the major metro areas of Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA, and New York City, NY. The Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 10pm tonight.
The large watch box encompasses more than 47,700,000 residents. Within the large watch are individual Severe Thunderstorm Warnings which are typically issued on a county-by-county level for a shorter period of time when an actual severe thunderstorm is impacting an area. Some Tornado Warnings have also been issued in this area for RADAR-indicated tornadoes.
Severe thunderstorms could include large hail up to quarter-sized; strong damaging wind gusts up to 70mph are also likely. A few tornadoes are also expected within the overall watch area.
In addition to severe storms, this area is also dealing with slow-moving storms producing extremely heavy rains. Flood threats will increase throughout the day into tomorrow. The National Weather Service reminds people: “Turn around, don’t drown! Never drive through flood waters.”
