US Northeast Threatened by Severe Thunderstorms, Damaging Winds

More than 63 million Americans in a Northeast Corridor that spans Washington, through New York, to Boston are threatened by wild weather on Thursday, including severe thunderstorms and damaging winds.

Power outages and travel disruptions are likely, while there’s even a chance a tornado could develop across upstate New York or New England. A wider area stretching from Texas to Maine, and beyond into Canada, is also at risk from potentially dangerous storms, weather agencies in both countries said.

The Northeast is in the firing line after Tropical Storm Arthur—the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic season—brought “life-threatening flooding” to the southeastern U.S. on Wednesday. Arthur has degenerated into a low-pressure area along the upper Texas coast, but there’s still a chance of gusty winds, hail and possibly even a tornado across the Gulf Coast.

As of 5:30 a.m. New York time, there were tornado watches in parts of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio. There are also flashflood warnings in the area as thunderstorm-related downpours sweep through the region, the National Weather Service said.

Across upstate New York and most of Vermont there are wind advisories, with gusts of up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour capable of downing tree limbs and causing power outages.

Top photo: A person walks through a flooded neighborhood after Tropical Storm Arthur made landfall on June 17, 2026 in Freeport, Texas. A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for portions of the northwestern Gulf Coast, stretching from the mid-to-upper Texas coast into Louisiana, as Tropical Storm Arthur brought heavy downpour and flooding. Tropical Storm Arthur becomes the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images). Bloomberg.