Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued: Dangerous Winds, Large Hail Threat Tonight — What You Need to Know

A fast-moving cold front is triggering a multi-state severe thunderstorm watch this afternoon and evening, with the National Weather Service (NWS) warning of 70 mph wind gusts, large hail and pockets of flash flooding from the Mid-Atlantic into the central Plains. Where the watch is in effect today • New Jersey: 16 counties, including Camden, Mercer, Monmouth and Sussex, are under a watch until 9 p.m. EDT after forecasters flagged “scattered storms capable of damaging winds and torrential rain”. • Washington, D.C. metro: Arlington, Fairfax, Prince George’s and the District itself are covered by a concurrent severe thunderstorm and flood watch through Tuesday night. • Central & eastern U.S.: A larger corridor from the Ohio Valley to the Carolinas and parts of Nebraska and South Dakota sits in a level-2 “slight risk” for severe weather, according to AccuWeather forecasters. Timing and storm threats • Peak danger window: 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. local time as daytime heating maximizes instability. • Main hazards: straight-line winds topping 58 mph, quarter- to golf-ball-size hail, vivid cloud-to-ground lightning and rainfall rates over 2″ per hour that can overwhelm storm drains in minutes. • Tornado potential: isolated, especially where boundaries from yesterday’s storms intersect the advancing cold front. Why today’s storms are turning severe A stout upper-level trough diving across the Great Lakes is dragging a cold front into a very humid air mass (dew points near 70 °F). Wind shear of 30–40 kt in the lowest 6 km of the atmosphere is enough to organize storms into fast-moving lines and bowing segments, favoring damaging wind events. Pre-existing outflow boundaries from morning convection may further localize tornado spin-ups. Safety tips while the watch is active 1. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone and keep a NOAA Weather Radio nearby. 2. Secure or bring inside patio furniture, umbrellas and trash cans that can become dangerous projectiles. 3. During a severe thunderstorm warning, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building—stay away from windows. 4. Never drive through flooded roadways; just 12 inches of moving water can sweep away most cars. 5. If outdoors and thunder roars, head indoors immediately—lightning can strike 10 miles from the rain core. How to track the storms in real time • Use the NWS radar site or trusted apps with “live radar” layers to monitor storm cells approaching your location. • Follow local NWS offices (@NWSMountHolly, @NWS_BaltWash and others) on social media for mesoscale updates. • Check state DOT traffic cameras before hitting the road; sudden downpours and debris can create hazardous driving conditions. What happens after the front passes Storms will push off the East Coast overnight, ushering in a less humid air mass for Wednesday. High pressure builds Thursday, but long-range models hint at another round of thunderstorms before the holiday weekend. Keep tabs on daily forecasts, as the atmosphere remains primed for rapid, locally severe flare-ups. Bottom line If you are under today’s severe thunderstorm watch, treat it seriously. Storms will be fast, noisy and potentially destructive. Stay weather-aware, have multiple ways to receive warnings and act quickly when alerts are issued to keep yourself and your family safe.