The Storm Prediction Center says that there’s an elevated risk for tornadoes around Washington D.C. and Baltimore this afternoon. Keep a close eye on watches and warnings today, and make sure you have a plan to take quick, adequate shelter either at home or if you’re out somewhere. Avoid box stores if storms are looming on the horizon.
That yellow bullseye over D.C. is a 10% risk for tornadoes, which is unusually high for this region. There’s enough shear in the atmosphere to aid in the development of tornadic supercells if storms can fire up over the area, which is an unsettling thought given the population density of the region at greatest risk. However, there are enough clouds over the region that the potential for low instability killing the risk for storms (in other words, a busted forecast) is not insignificant. Either way, the threat is there, and anyone around D.C. or Baltimore today will have to closely watch any storms that do develop.
You can track the latest watches at the Storm Prediction Center, and warnings for individual thunderstorms from your local National Weather Service office.
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