A multiday severe weather system is bringing damaging winds, large hail, possible tornadoes, and flash flooding to the U.S. Midwest and East Coast.
The system follows a week of dangerous air-quality events and flash floods, compounding the risk for millions of residents [3] already dealing with atmospheric instability.
ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee said the threat begins Monday. The weather system is expected to move from the Upper Midwest through the Great Lakes region, eventually reaching the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and East Coast.
Meteorologists have issued a heightened risk outlook as atmospheric conditions align for severe storms. In parts of the Midwest, the risk level is currently designated as Level 3 out of 5 [1].
The storm system affects more than 12 states [2]. Residents in these areas are warned to prepare for a variety of hazards, including sudden flash flooding, as the system progresses across the country.
This current threat follows a period of significant weather volatility. The transition from poor air quality and flooding last week to a potential tornado and hail threat this week indicates a highly unstable atmospheric pattern across the central and eastern U.S.
“The storm system affects over 12 states.”
The rapid succession of disparate weather extremes—shifting from air-quality crises and flooding to high-wind and tornado threats—suggests a volatile atmospheric corridor. This pattern increases the burden on emergency management services and infrastructure across a vast geographic area stretching from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic.
