Storm Risk Shifts to East Coast

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Forecasters said thither was a cold-shoulder lay on the line on lord's day of severe storms and tornadoes from northern Florida to central Virginia. The weather system also spawned deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and South.

By Amy Graff

The deadly bombardment of severe storms that spawned tornadoes and dust storms across the Midwest and South is expected to sweep across the East Coast on Sunday. The system, which has killed at least 34 people, is expected to unleash storms that could generate tornadoes across the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast.

The turbulent weather that has caused widespread destruction is part of a huge cross-country system that dropped hail — some as large as baseballs — and produced tornadoes Friday and Saturday that killed at least 21 people.

The system also caused wildfires driven by hurricane-force winds, and dust storms that led to crashes that killed at least 13 people in Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.

On Sunday, the threat of tornadoes and thunderstorms is expected to be over in the South and will shift east, though at a level much lower than it was on Saturday. Forecasters said there would be a slight risk of severe storms and tornadoes from northern Florida to central Virginia.

“I’m not expecting the coverage to be as significant and the storms to be as numerous in terms of the overall severity,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. “But there’s still going to be a risk for tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds.”

Mr. Otto said that Mississippi and Alabama, which experienced the highest possible level of tornado risk on Saturday, “should have a relatively tranquil day on Sunday.”

Locations of tornado sightings or damage reported since Friday morning.

Source: National Weather Service | Notes: Reports are considered preliminary. Data is for the 48 hours starting March 14 at 8 a.m. Eastern, during which updates are being made every 10 minutes.

By Julie Walton Shaver and John Keefe

A complex of storms that was over Alabama, Mississippi and parts of Tennessee on Saturday was expected to move into northern Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and a portion of North Carolina on Sunday morning.

These storms are expected to kick up strong winds, with a small risk of tornadoes.

By late afternoon, these systems will affect parts of Virginia and central North Carolina, while still reaching into northern Florida. The Mid-Atlantic, from Virginia to New Jersey, will most likely get high winds, with only a marginal risk for tornadoes.

The heaviest rainfall on Sunday is expected along the East Coast from South Carolina up to Massachusetts, with about one to two inches of rain possible.

A few locations in this area could record up to five inches, particularly in eastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina. New York City could record one to two inches of rain, depending on where thunderstorms are oriented.

This large storm system is expected to move offshore on Monday.

Mr. Otto said there was likely to be a break from the extreme and tempestuous weather for “at least a few to several days” but the overall pattern suggests that more storms will move across the country before the end of March.

“This is probably not the last time we’ll talk about severe thunderstorms in the next several weeks,” he said.

Yan Zhuang and Nazaneen Ghaffar contributed reporting.

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