Several school divisions in Eastern Virginia announced closures Monday as severe weather threatened parts of the region. The decision comes as forecasters warned of potentially dangerous storms that could affect the community.
Several school districts in the Charlotte region also adjusted their schedules for Monday due to the threat of severe weather. Officials warned that waves of severe thunderstorms could bring damaging winds and isolated tornadoes to the Carolinas between Sunday night and March 16.
In the Washington, D.C., area, several school systems said they would dismiss students early, switch to virtual classes or close schools entirely ahead of the storm system, which is expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds and the possibility of tornadoes. Authorities said precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of students as the storm moves through the region.
AccuWeather is warning of widespread severe storms in the eastern US
AccuWeather forecasters warned Monday of a widespread outbreak of severe weather across the eastern United States, with more than a dozen states under threat of severe thunderstorms.
The threat is tied to a triple-threat megastorm in March that already brought blizzards and strong winds to parts of the Midwest, according to the weather forecast company. As the system moves east, AccuWeather said a large line of thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds, tornadoes and torrential downpours is expected to form along the advancing Arctic front.
AccuWeather reported that a severe weather threat began Sunday afternoon across the central United States, stretching from Texas to southwestern Michigan, as the front interacted with moisture flowing in from the Gulf of Mexico.
Later, a strong line of thunderstorms developed and moved east, bringing damaging wind gusts, heavy rain, hail and several tornadoes. AccuWeather noted that the strongest wind gust on record reached 77 mph in Minturn, Arkansas.
The weather agency said the risk of severe weather would move east, with storms possible from Florida to New York. The weather service upgraded the threat to “high risk” from York, Pennsylvania, to Columbia, South Carolina.
The primary danger will be widespread damaging straight line winds, although heavy downpours and a few tornadoes are also possible. AccuWeather warned that winds could gust up to 80 mph, with a local StormMax of 100 mph in some areas.
Severe storms could also coincide with the evening commute in several major metro areas, including Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Richmond, Virginia, which could slow travel due to downed trees, power lines and reduced visibility due to heavy rain.
