Severe weather keeps its foot on the gas as we head into the final days of September, with the threat of severe storms looming Wednesday across the Ohio Valley.
The FOX Forecast Center said a slow-moving, upper-level low pressure will develop showers and thunderstorms across the Midwest.
Showers and storms developed Wednesday morning over Illinois, Indiana and the lower Ohio Valley. A warm front will remain draped across Illinois and Indiana throughout the day. Along and south of the front, temperatures will rise into the upper 70s to lower 80s, destabilizing the air and allowing for strong to severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening.
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“If you are in that red shaded area (above), that includes those of you in the Evansville, (Indiana), area … you have a good chance at seeing some significant rain as well as wind pushing through here,” FOX Weather meteorologist Jason Frazer said. “So, please be incredibly careful.”
A few strong thunderstorms already fired up Wednesday morning as the warm front pushed east through the St. Louis area.
The storms Wednesday afternoon will likely result in quarter-sized hail in the Ohio Valley. As day turns to night, the storms will dive south toward Kentucky and Tennessee. Strong wind gusts will become the main concern, though a tornado cannot be ruled out.
“That’s going to include those of you in the Evansville area, as well as Owensboro, Elizabethtown, Louisville, as well as the Bowling Green area (in Kentucky),” Frazer said. “And this is all due to the wind shear.”
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The slow progression of the closed upper-level low could support storms that stall or move very slowly. Though the area has been dry lately, intense rain rates could still lead to a handful of minor flood concerns.
Looking at the exclusive FOX Model, a FutureTrack shows the greatest chance of seeing some severe weather will be in the late-afternoon or early-evening hours.
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“This is going to continue to push into Indy – and then even Cincinnati, you’re going to end up getting clipped with this by the time it gets to central Ohio,” Frazer said. “We’re not expecting it to be severe, just significant rain.”