Stronger storms are expected later this evening, with the main window for the roughest weather coming between about 6 PM and midnight. The storms that develop could briefly turn strong to severe, bringing damaging wind gusts and heavy downpours.
Localized flash flooding may develop if heavier rain keeps moving over the same spots, especially where the ground is already saturated. Waterways are already running high, and that makes repeated rounds of rain more concerning for places that have not had time to drain.
The threat should ease after about 1 AM, though some fog is possible late tonight into early Thursday. That will be only a short break. Another round of storms is expected Thursday afternoon and evening, and that setup looks more organized as a lifting boundary and increasing instability help storms form by mid to late afternoon.
Thursday’s storms may begin in scattered pockets before growing into lines as they move east. Damaging winds and large hail appear to be the main threats, and a low-end tornado risk cannot be ruled out. Heavy rain remains a concern too because conditions are already wet.
The pattern stays active through the rest of the week, with multiple rounds of showers and storms expected. Saturday offers a brief break with warm, quieter weather, but a strong cold front returns Sunday with more showers and storms. By Sunday night into Monday, it turns much colder with gusty winds and a chance for some snow showers, before conditions gradually improve again by midweek.
Temperatures are expected to stay well above average through the stretch, although likely just shy of records. For now, the bigger story is not the warmth. It is the repeated rounds of rain and storms and what they can do to already wet ground and high waterways.
