Cities along the East Coast see record heat, more severe weather hits Midwest and Plains
It's feeling like a summer afternoon for millions across the East on Wednesday, with unseasonably warm conditions breaking daily record highs along the East Coast.
On Wednesday afternoon, temperatures soared well into the 80s and lower 90s along the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia and New York City, breaking daily records in all three cities.
Washington, D.C., saw its first 90-degree day of the year on Wednesday, about a month earlier than usual.
Philadelphia hit 91 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, which is also the first 90-degree day in the City of Brotherly Love this year.
New York City also set a daily high record on Wednesday. The Big Apple hit 90 degrees, breaking the previous record of 87 degrees on April 15, 1941.
But the summer-like weather is expected to be short-lived
Wednesday is the hottest day with high temperatures slightly lower on Thursday. A more substantial cooldown arrives by Friday into the upcoming weekend.
Tornado watch issued for parts of the Midwest and Plains
For the third straight day, residents of the Midwest and the Plains were bracing Wednesday afternoon for another severe weather outbreak, with damaging winds gusts, large hail and a few possible tornadoes.
Nearly 50 million people from North Texas to the southern Great Lakes were in the severe weather threat zone.
Scattered thunderstorms were beginning to develop across parts of the Plains and Midwest on Wednesday afternoon. However, the main threat was expected to unfold on Wednesday evening and continue into the night.
A tornado watch was in effect for portions of Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas through at least 9 p.m. CT.
On Monday and Tuesday, destructive storms brought widespread reports of large hail and damaging winds across multiple states in the Midwest and Plains. At least nine reported tornadoes occurred across four states -- Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Oklahoma.
The National Weather Service confirmed at least two tornadoes in western Michigan on Tuesday night. A twister, packing 86 mph winds, caused damage in Otsego, Mich., and was rated an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Another tornado confirmed in Montcalm County, Michigan, was also rated an EF1 with peak winds estimated at 110 mph.
