Kentucky Virginia and New York Face Level 2 Damaging Wind Threat Thursday as Fast Moving Storm Line Targets the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — The Thursday severe weather setup is now official with the SPC issuing a Level 2 of 5 Slight Risk from Kentucky through Virginia and into parts of New York, with damaging wind as the headline hazard as strong upper level winds shove storms along fast through the afternoon and evening hours across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast corridor.

Level 2 Slight Risk Covers Kentucky Through Virginia and Into New York

The Day 2 SPC severe weather outlook updated June 17 at 3:32 AM ET valid Thursday June 18 shows a Level 2 red Slight Risk centered over Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and extending into portions of New York and New England. A Level 1 orange zone surrounds the core, stretching from Arkansas and Tennessee through the Carolinas and all the way up through Pennsylvania and into upstate New York.

The geographic footprint of Thursday’s severe weather threat covers a massive corridor of the eastern United States from the Deep South through the Northeast.

Damaging Wind the Primary Threat as Storms Move Fast

Strong winds high in the atmosphere will drive storms along quickly Thursday afternoon and evening, making damaging straight-line winds the dominant hazard across the risk zone. The better-fueled storm environment sets up from Kentucky into the mid-Atlantic where warmer and richer low-level air will support stronger storm development during the afternoon and evening hours.

These fast-moving storms are capable of knocking down trees and power lines across the Level 2 corridor even where morning clouds reduce afternoon heating across northern portions of the risk zone.

Morning Clouds May Limit Northern Threat but Wind Risk Remains

Up north across New York and New England, morning clouds may steal some of the punch by limiting afternoon heating and instability. However forecasters note that even the fast-moving storms driven purely by upper level winds can still produce significant tree damage and power outages across the northern end of the risk zone regardless of cloud cover limiting fuel.

Residents across Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York should prepare for damaging wind gusts Thursday afternoon and evening and have plans to move indoors quickly when storms approach.

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