A powerful multi-day storm system sweeping across the southern and central U.S. could bring unsettled weather to parts of New York by the end of the week.
While the highest risk for tornadoes and very large hail will stay in the Plains and Midwest, the same system is expected to push east, bringing showers, gusty winds and the potential for thunderstorms to the Northeast, including New York, on Friday.
The Storm Prediction Center says an active early-spring pattern will continue through the end of the week as a stalled front and a strengthening storm system move across the country.
What this means for New York
For New Yorkers, the primary concerns are:
There’s also a possibility for freezing rain late Thursday, March 5, creating potentially dangerous travel conditions Friday, March 6, due to icy roads. This threat will primarily organize across the Thousand Islands region, and possibly just south of Lake Ontario, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Rain is set to measure about 1 to 2 inches, and with increasing runoff and snowmelt, flooding is expected on area rivers and creeks throughout the weekend.
“The greatest risk of flooding will be east of Lake Ontario where much greater snowpack is still in place, with a lower risk in Western New York,” the National Weather Service wrote.
At this time, widespread severe weather in New York is not expected, but isolated stronger storms cannot be ruled out. Forecast details may change as the system moves closer.
Where severe weather will be strongest
The greatest tornado and large hail threat is forecast Friday across parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, where organized supercells could develop.
Storms are also expected to stretch across much of the eastern U.S., reaching as far north as New York. By the time the system arrives in the Northeast, however, it is expected to be less intense than in the Plains.
Timing to watch in New York
Because the forecast is still several days out, New Yorkers should check for updated watches, advisories and local alerts later this week.
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Brandi D. Addison covers weather across the United States as the Weather Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at baddison@gannett.com. Find her on Facebook here.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Severe storms sweep U.S. What it means for New York
Reporting by Brandi D. Addison, USA TODAY NETWORK / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
