More severe storms are in the forecast for Friday as a cold front roars east
More stormy weather was in the forecast Friday across portions of the eastern U.S., a day after severe storms lashed the central portion of the country with fierce winds and driving rain.
Friday morning, thousands of people remained without power in Ohio after severe thunderstorms roared through the state, causing flooding and knocking down trees.
Elsewhere, severe storms, including at least one possible tornado, struck parts of Arkansas on Thursday evening, damaging homes and causing widespread damage to trees and power lines. Storms and several tornadoes also hit portions of Texas on Wednesday and early Thursday, smashing homes and flattening trees.
More weather: Spring started Thursday – the earliest it's been in 124 years
On Friday, Weather.com warned of scattered strong to severe thunderstorms that could hit parts of the South and East as a cold front sweeps eastward during the day.
"Damaging wind gusts are the primary threat, but hail and a tornado or two cannot be ruled out," Weather.com said.
In addition, "the strong frontal boundary will also be the focus for potentially heavy rains and flash flooding from east Texas into the Lower Mississippi Valley on Friday," the National Weather Service said.
The front will also be the dividing line between summer and winter: Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees above average along the East Coast on Friday, soaring to 80 degrees as far north as Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, high temperatures will be stuck in the 20s and 30s across a large portion of the north-central U.S.
Contributing: The Associated Press