Severe weather is set to hit the I-95 corridor, potentially affecting areas from New Jersey to Virginia after storms blasted the eastern half of the U.S. with damaging wind and heavy rain on Monday.
Strong to severe thunderstorms are forecast Tuesday afternoon and evening, impacting nearly 80 million people from southern New England into the Southeast and the lower Great Lakes vicinity.
As widespread rain and storms move across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, commuters will have a messy start to the day. Air travelers can also expect delays due to wet weather from Boston to New York, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Later in the day, the slow-moving cold front will slide along the Eastern Seaboard and spark more showers and storms. Some storms may reach severe limits, producing damaging winds up to 60 mph and quarter-size hail.
While widespread severe weather is not expected, the storms could down trees and power lines and lead to minor property damage.
A Flood Watch is in effect for much of the region through the morning, as the rain could lead to some flash flooding.
“What we’re working with on radar right now is more inconvenient than anything else. But we did have some stronger storms last night,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “But we’re not done just yet.”
On Monday, heavy rain flooded the streets of Washington D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia.
Officials say multiple dogs died from flash flooding at a doggy daycare in D.C. after severe storms produced flash flooding. Six feet of water was said to have filled the area, where crews worked to pull those stuck inside their cars and businesses.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has placed areas of southern Delaware, eastern Maryland, southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina at a level 2 out of 5 on its thunderstorm risk scale.
The highest severe-thunderstorm coverage is expected from the southern Delmarva vicinity into North Carolina, the SPC said.
Some larger population centers in risk area include Virginia Beach, Virginia, Raleigh and Greensboro in North Carolina and Norfolk and Chesapeake in Virginia.