Severe weather threatens millions in three U.S. regions Wednesday

Orlando, Florida – Wednesday is shaping up to be an active day for severe weather in three regions of the United States, with strong wind gusts, large hail, and the potential for tornadoes targeting areas from the Plains to the East Coast. Thunderstorms are possible.

Tornado warnings and severe lightning warnings were issued for parts of Florida early Tuesday morning, and the FOX Prediction Center expects these thunderstorms to continue throughout the day.

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A tornado watch was in effect for parts of central and northern Florida early Wednesday morning, but was replaced with a severe thunderstorm warning just before 11 a.m. ET. Severe thunderstorm watches are in effect for about 10.5 million people until 5 p.m. ET, including cities such as Gainesville, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Melbourne, Tampa, Sarasota and Port St. Lucie.

Another severe thunderstorm watch was issued further north Wednesday afternoon, covering about 6.6 million people in parts of South Carolina and North Carolina. This watch includes the cities of Myrtle Beach, Columbia, and Florence in South Carolina, and Charlotte, Fayetteville, and Wilmington in North Carolina. It’s valid until 8pm ET.

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East Coast Severe Weather Threat

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has highlighted two areas of concern on the East Coast for strong thunderstorms on Wednesday.

In Florida, severe thunderstorms are possible across the peninsula, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, from the Jacksonville area south to the West Palm Beach area.

SPC ranks areas of central Florida at a level 2 of 5 risk on the 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale. This includes cities like Daytona Beach, Orlando, Melbourne, Tampa, and the Fort Myers area.

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SPC also highlights areas in the Carolinas that are at high risk for severe weather. Most of northern South Carolina and central and eastern North Carolina are at Level 2 of 5 risk. This includes Columbia, South Carolina, and Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington, North Carolina.

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These areas of Florida and the Carolinas are at risk for strong thunderstorms that can produce damaging wind gusts and hail.

There is also a tornado threat, but the twister threat is higher across Central Florida.

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Severe weather threat for central United States

Parts of the central plains region of the United States will also be at risk of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday.

Thunderstorm danger extends from Texas to Nebraska. However, parts of northwestern Texas, western and northern Oklahoma, and southern Kansas were placed at a Level 3 out of 5 severe weather risk Wednesday.

That includes about 1 million people in cities such as Amarillo, Texas, Enid, Oklahoma, Stillwater, Ponca City, and Yukon. It also includes communities along Interstate 35 south of Wichita, Kansas.

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Storms in these areas can not only produce deadly cloud-to-ground lightning, but can also produce large hailstones, damaging wind gusts, and tornadoes.