Washington, Philadelphia in Path of Hail, Winds, Severe Thunder

(Bloomberg) -- Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia will be raked by a line of severe thunderstorms that could bring high winds, hail and possibly even an isolated tornado, the National Weather Service said.

The mid-Atlantic region from West Virginia through New Jersey has an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms, which could be arriving in Washington between 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, said Patrick Burke, a senior branch forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

“It could affect the rush-hour commute,” Burke said. “Being caught out in traffic in your car is not the best place to be in a severe storm.”

The East Coast storms come after the central U.S. has been repeatedly hit by heavy rain, tornadoes and hail for the last few weeks, slowing crop planting across the Midwest and Great Plains. The wild weather spread Tuesday and instability in the atmosphere and vertical wind shear will bring it back Wednesday.

Burke said there could be a few short-lived tornadoes across the mid-Atlantic, along with large hail and powerful straight-line winds, which are capable of toppling trees and causing power outages.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tina Davis at tinadavis@bloomberg.net, Will Wade

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