Tornadoes, strong thunderstorms threaten East Coast
Just a week after being buried by snow and ice, a number of states along the East Coast are dealing with the threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes on Friday.
Severe weather watches and warnings are in play from the Florida Panhandle to Philadelphia, including tornado alerts for Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and North and South Carolina.
New #tornado watch just issued for the rest of eastern NC until 7pm. Map of all current tornado watches. pic.twitter.com/jT6U2kbaFy
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) February 21, 2014
The bumpy weather is a product of a cold front pushing toward the Eastern Seaboard.
From the National Weather Service:
A deep supply of moisture flowing northward from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of the cold front is resulting in widespread moderate to heavy rainfall, along with strong thunderstorms. Most locations across the East Coast states should experience a round of rain and embedded thunderstorms lasting for a few hours as the band of rainfall moves eastward.
The system produced reports of 13 tornadoes and lots of wind and hail damage as it moved across the Midwest and South on Thursday.
Wow! MT @Tornadochaser91: Great shot of tornado in western Kentucky yesterday by @JWSevereWeather's @jc_knox80! pic.twitter.com/W68Akn4uCK
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) February 21, 2014
Picture: MT @MurielWAFF: Damage in Fort Payne, AL near Green Valley Circle after possible tornado overnight pic.twitter.com/T7BVkZ30ob #alwx
— Johnny Kelly (@stormchaser4850) February 21, 2014
Follow Jason Sickles on Twitter (@jasonsickles).