Heat and humidity to set stage for severe storms in the Northeast, Ohio Valley on Tuesday

Heat and humidity surging from the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley into the Northeast will be the key ingredients for severe weather to develop Tuesday and Tuesday night.

This surge of heat reached across the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes to close out the weekend and will continue eastward into Monday.

High temperatures will be near 90 F in Indianapolis, Columbus and Detroit through Monday afternoon. Columbus and Detroit have yet to record a temperature of 90 F from Aug. 1 to 20 while Indianapolis reached 90 for the first time this month on Sunday.

A push of cooler and less humid air is set to push across the region on Tuesday. This push will interact with the hot and humid air and trigger severe thunderstorms from St. Louis to Detroit, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.


“The storm system moving through the Great Lakes will be rather potent for this time of the year, increasing the risk for severe weather,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey.

These storms will be capable of producing damaging winds, flash flooding and hail.

A few of the strongest storms could even spin up a tornado.

Motorists traveling on interstates 65, 70 and 80 should be prepared for poor visibility and possible delays due to torrential rainfall during these storms.

The threat for severe weather will shift eastward Tuesday night as locations from West Virginia through central Pennsylvania, upstate New York and southern Quebec will be at risk.


Damaging winds and flash flooding will be the most widespread concern as the storms begin to weaken after sunset.

Ahead of the thunderstorms, temperatures will approach 90 F from Washington, D.C. to Boston on Monday before climbing a few degrees higher on Tuesday.

Showers and thunderstorms will reach the I-95 corridor late Tuesday night; however, the risk for severe weather will be minimal as the storms lose their punch after midnight.

Showers and thunderstorms may linger through midday Wednesday, impacting the morning commute for D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

A much cooler air mass will settle over the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday. Dry conditions and sunshine will accompany the cool air.

High temperatures in the upper 70s to lower 80s will be common across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast both days along with low humidity.