Easter Week Weather Forecast Includes Severe Weather Threat

Residents from the Ohio Valley to the southern Plains may have to modify their outdoor activities as the Easter weekend draws closer due to several days of severe weather danger.

Channels forecasters caution that the dreary trend of the past few days will likely change significantly over the next week as the weather becomes ready for several days with the potential for severe storms.

A region of the Ohio Valley will be in some danger of storms throughout the early week, but as the setup gets more intense, the hazard will spread more into the Plains and Central states later in the week. Alex Duffus, a channel Meteorologist, noted that “the developing pattern over the next week or more will be more active than recent days” across the country.

Due to favorable climatic conditions, severe thunderstorms will likely recur before and during the Easter weekend. Thunderstorms will be caused by a collision between a colder air mass and energy pulsating out of the western states and warm, humid air rushing out of the Gulf.

Even while Monday’s high temperatures will reach the 60s and even 70s Fahrenheit in many places from Cleveland, Ohio, to Louisville, Kentucky, this region will also be at risk of intense storms as the afternoon and evening go on.

Monday’s setup throughout the Ohio Valley could result in strong winds that could cause damage locally. Hail and an isolated spin-up might be caused by other atmospheric components, mainly from southeastern Ohio into far southwest Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia.

The severe threat will lessen on Tuesday as the parent system moves eastward, bringing cooler air along the storm’s back flank. However, showers and thunderstorms may form in the Plains by late Wednesday when a new storm moves into the area.

Forecasters caution that there may be enough energy in the energy pulse ejecting into the central Plains on Wednesday night to start locally powerful thunderstorms. Although Wednesday’s forecast does not indicate that a widespread severe danger is imminent, the heaviest storms that form may produce tiny hail and sporadic gusts of wind.

Pattern Builds Up in the Late Week:

Thunderstorm threats may increase as the storm moves into the Plains and Midwest on Thursday and gets more structured. With the Channel Local StormMaxTM of 90 mph, wind gusts can occasionally exceed 70–80 mph.

Omaha, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa, are dangerous from hail, another potential threat. By Friday, the risk of storms will spread across the country, affecting areas from northeast Ohio to southern Michigan and southwest Texas. With a Channel Local StormMaxTM of 90 mph, isolated tornadoes, hail, and strong winds are possible along this area from Friday afternoon to Friday night.

Easter Weekend Outlook:

With a vast area in danger of severe thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday, forecasters predict a more dynamic setup may wait until the following weekend. Depending on where they live, people with outdoor Easter holiday plans, such as picnics and egg hunts, may be affected.

As storms intensify over the South Central states late Saturday, large hail—defined as hail with a diameter of one inch or more—may fall. During this season, strong to severe storms can affect cities such as Amarillo, Texas; Oklahoma City; the northwest suburbs of Dallas; and even Little Rock, Arkansas.

Intense storms in the southern Plains are expected to be a concern again on Easter Sunday. According to Duffus, a strong and intensifying storm will likely move from the Rocky Mountains into the central Plains on Sunday, raising the possibility of severe thunderstorms throughout the Easter weekend in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

In the central and southern Plains, isolated tornadoes can occur Saturday and Sunday. A flood of moisture from the Gulf of America will feed this storm. According to Duffus, this element, in conjunction with modest daytime warming, may boost regional instability and promote the emergence of severe weather.

It is recommended that anybody with outdoor activities booked for the holiday weekend keep a careful eye on the weather pattern and decide whether to shift them indoors or reschedule them. Keep returning to Channels.com for the most recent prediction as the pattern solidifies in the days preceding the weekend.