THE TAKEAWAY
A sprawling flash flood threat stretches along a 1,300-mile corridor from North Texas to southern New Jersey Thursday, with some of the heaviest rain expected across the central Appalachians and Ohio Valley — a region that has dealt with repeated flooding in recent weeks.
Storms are being driven by a massive cold front that's sagging south and brought severe weather to parts of the Mid-Mississippi Valley and eastern Great Lakes on Wednesday.
Thunderstorms were ongoing across southern Ohio early Thursday, which are expected to move across the Appalachians through the day and arrive over Washington, D.C. and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic by Thursday night.
Flooding will be the biggest threat as storms tap into tropical moisture moving north from the Gulf.
SEVERAL DAYS OF HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS TO PERSIST ACROSS THE GULF COAST
A Level 2 out of 4 flood risk is in place for parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia through Friday morning.
Heavy rain could quickly cause flooding in mountain valleys, along rivers and in urban areas.
There is an unusually large amount of moisture over much of the country, that's creating unusually humid conditions for this time of year.
Thunderstorms are expected to fire along the cold front in the Southern Plains beginning Thursday afternoon, potentially producing rain rates of 2-3 inches per hour.
KNOW YOUR FLOOD TERMINOLOGY: WHAT FLOOD WATCHES, WARNINGS AND EMERGENCIES REALLY MEAN
Most storms will not be severe, but a few could produce wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph, especially in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri.
By Friday, the front will reach the Southeast, bringing more showers and downpours and a Level 1 flash flood threat from the Carolinas to the Gulf Coast and Florida, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Stay with FOX Weather for the latest forecast.
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