Parts of New York under flood watch as 50 million people under threat from severe storms in Eastern US

Nearly 50 million people across the eastern U.S., including Baltimore, Washington and Charlotte, North Carolina, are bracing for a round of possible severe weather and damaging wind gusts on Wednesday after a powerful cold front barreled across the Midwest and Ohio Valley Tuesday and into early Wednesday, leading to dozens of Tornado Warnings and reports of large hail.

So far, there haven’t been any reports of injuries from the destructive thunderstorms and likely tornadoes that ripped across parts of Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, but a storm spotter near Springfield, Ohio, reported a likely tornado that damaged several homes southeast of the town.

In the Dayton area, strong thunderstorms knocked a large tree into a home near Huber Heights, and thunderstorms brought wind gusts to 60 mph near Springfield and 69 mph in London, Ohio.

Just east of Dayton, a possible tornado blew out glass at a shopping center, with likely tornado-caused tree damage nearby, according to National Weather Service storm reports.

Tornado Warnings were issued in Columbus, Ohio, before dawn Wednesday as the line of thunderstorms moved through, and Columbus’ John Glenn Airport urged travelers in the terminal to seek shelter while the warning was in effect.

So far, Kentucky has dealt with more of a damaging-wind and large hail threat from severe thunderstorms. Wind gusts there reached 50-60 mph around and north of Lexington and Frankfort, with radar-indicated hail exceeding 1 inch in diameter.

Eastern US up next for possible severe weather, damaging winds Wednesday

Nearly 50 million people from the western slopes of the Appalachians to the Carolinas, mid-Atlantic and Northeast could see severe weather Wednesday as the powerful cold front continues to advance eastward.

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed areas of northern Alabama and North Georgia northward through western New England in a Level 1 out of 5 risk on its 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale.

This includes cities such as Knoxville in Tennessee, Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina, Roanoke and Richmond in Virginia, Charleston in West Virginia, Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Scranton in Pennsylvania, Syracuse and Albany in New York and Burlington in Vermont.

Heavy rain is more of a concern than the severe weather threat on Wednesday.

“There’s a little bit of a dry slot, and then it’s going to turn into very heavy rain later this morning and into the afternoon hours,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen said. “It’s going to stretch into major cities.

Flood Watches have been posted by the National Weather Service because of the heavy rain expected on Wednesday.

The Flood Watches were in effect for portions of northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and most of Maine.

“A lot of that could be rain on top of snowpack to be honest,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “We’re still eroding the snowpack across the north, and this rain is going to fall on top of that.”

Wind, too, can cause problems across the region.

“If you’re trying to travel today, even if you’re not getting rain, the wind is going to be a huge factor,” Van Dillen continued.

Wind Advisories are in effect across the Northeast and New England, and High Wind Warnings have been issued for areas of the eastern Great Lakes in New York state. Northern coastal Maine has also been placed under a High Wind Warning in anticipation of wind gusts up to 60 mph.