Tornado Watch Ohio Valley Appalachia Redeveloping Thunderstorms

Severe weather threat in Appalachia as storms with hail, damaging winds, and tornado risk move east, impacting millions of people.

The FOX Forecast Center is closely monitoring the potential for severe weather to develop east of the Ohio River, along the Appalachian Mountains on Thursday afternoon. The Storm Prediction Center has identified an area from south of Pittsburgh to western Virginia as having the highest risk of thunderstorms, which may bring hail, damaging winds, and even an isolated tornado.

These storms are expected to form ahead of a cold front that has already moved into the western parts of the Ohio Valley. Many communities in West Virginia, including Charleston, are currently under a Tornado Watch until sunset. This watch box covers 2.5 million people across five states.

The stormy weather is a result of the same system that caused extensive damage and flooding along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday. A tornado in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was classified as an EF-2, and a Flash Flood Emergency was declared for the New Orleans metro area.

In addition to the severe weather threat, any thunderstorm that develops could bring dangerous lightning and heavy rainfall. With major waterways like the Ohio River already elevated from recent flooding in Appalachia, any additional rain could hinder cleanup efforts.

The cold front is not expected to move off the East Coast until Saturday, meaning communities in the Northeast may experience scattered rain showers for several days. Forecast models predict rainfall accumulations of 1 to 3 inches for many areas, which could further impact rivers and streams already at capacity due to recent heavy snowfall in northern Maine.

As a precaution, Flood Watches have been issued for parts of the region. Stay informed and stay safe during this period of unsettled weather.