Powerhouse storm to unleash severe weather across more than a dozen states

A volatile weather pattern is evolving for much of the country next week, bringing damaging thunderstorms and gusty winds from the Plains to the Eastern Seaboard, forecasters said Saturday.

The surge of Arctic air is expected to bulldoze the record-setting, May-like temperatures experienced in recent days, warned Guy Pearson, Senior Director of AccuWeather for Business and Weather Warning Operations.

"It's a matter of how everything comes together in the atmosphere," Pearson explained. "We have all kinds of energy and moisture to work with, but the question is if all the pieces come together just right to define a large severe weather outbreak or not."

AccuWeather experts expect potent thunderstorms to develop late Tuesday and continue through Tuesday night across part of the Central states.

"With the building warmth ahead of this storm, the threat for severe storms could be unusually far north by late-February standards -- and possibly extend all the way into Lower Michigan. Cities as far north as Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis could all be threatened by severe storms that can bring downpours, hail, damaging winds and even an isolated tornado," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

The expected forward speed of the storm has trended faster compared to a few days ago, which will result in downpours and potentially severe thunderstorms progressing into the Eastern states by the middle of the week.

"On Wednesday, the rapid press of cold air is likely to undercut the severe weather threat as thunderstorms approach the Appalachians. However, there is the potential for some severe weather to affect areas from Pennsylvania to portions of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as part of northern Georgia," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

The threat of severe thunderstorms may begin to wane as the front moves toward the Eastern Seaboard later Wednesday into Wednesday night, but hazardous weather can still impact the corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C.

"Heavy rain and locally gusty, damaging winds can still be a concern as the strong cold front crosses major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. The rain and wind could lead to difficult travel," Pydynowski said.

Residents across the areas being outlooked for possible severe weather should ensure they are prepared for incoming dangerous thunderstorms by downloading the free AccuWeather app and turning on alerts for their location.

Even in the absence of severe weather, gusty winds accompanying the potent cold front can result in localized tree damage and power outages.

The risk of flight delays and cancellations will mount as downpours, thunderstorms and gusty winds sweep through the eastern half of the country and move into progressively larger cities and airport hubs.

The storms will also create dangerous conditions as they cross highways, such as sudden reductions in visibility. Motorists will also need to be on alert for areas of standing water and debris blocking some secondary roadways.

It is possible that cold air may charge in so quickly into the eastern Great Lakes and central Appalachians that Wednesday may begin with downpours and locally severe thunderstorms followed by a quick covering of snow in the afternoon and then a freeze-up with slippery travel at night.