Severe Weather Alert: Saturday Storms Could Disrupt Travel From Ohio to the Coast

A southward plunge in the jet stream will usher in cooler temperatures and the threat of rain showers and thunderstorms by Saturday across the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic. Here is a closer and when and where you should anticipate stormy conditions as the weekend kicks off.

Stormy Saturday Setting Up Over Great Lakes and Northeast

The good news is that a dip in the jet stream will break down the heat dome from the past week. The bad news is that the frontal boundary will also trigger the chance of severe weather across the northeastern quadrant of the nation.

A big shift in the weather is already happening across some parts of the northeastern U.S., thanks to the change in the position of the jet stream. After a relatively dry stretch of weather, storms are going to return to the region beginning on Friday and persisting into the weekend.

The storms are already coming together over some areas of the Midwest. The inclement weather is forecast to expand into the Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic by the end of the day Friday and through Saturday.

Forecasters are predicting the highest chance of severe weather on Saturday across the eastern Great Lakes and to the south into the central and southern Appalachians. The storm cells could migrate as far as the coastline of the mid-Atlantic during the peak of the activity on Saturday. Cities such as Cleveland, Buffalo, Erie, and Pittsburgh will be in the heart of the action.

The primary threats associated with Saturday's weather maker are flash flooding and high wind gusts. While this system is not expected to produce widespread tornadic activity, you cannot rule out the chance of an isolated twister or two.

Residents are being warned that Saturday's storms could bring about significant travel disruptions. Fortunately, the storms are moving at a fast clip, meaning that the impacts should be short-lived.

A mass of drier air is forecast to push down from the northwest to the southeast across New England and the Northeast on Sunday. This will put a lid on most of the severe weather impacts. However, pop-up rain showers and thunderstorms could still put a wrench in some outdoor plans in the Appalachians to the east to the Atlantic coast.

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