Nearly 80 million people along the US East Coast were under alert Sunday as severe storms were forecast to affect areas from Georgia to Maine, media outlets said.

The main threats include damaging winds, large hail, lightning and the possibility of isolated tornadoes, according to ABC News. Major cities within the danger zone include New York City, Albany, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Forecasters said the storm system was expected to move up the East Coast Sunday afternoon and continue overnight after advancing from Ohio and Tennessee. The severe weather threat follows powerful storms that hit parts of the central Plains on Saturday.

Hail the size of softballs was reported near Winfield, Kansas, about 45 miles south of Wichita, while golf ball-sized hail was reported in other parts of Kansas and Nebraska.

A weather station measured wind gusts of 84 miles per hour in Neosho, Missouri, which caused tree damage and widespread power outages. On the other hand, a slow-moving cold front is expected to bring heavy rain from Texas to Georgia through Tuesday, with some areas forecast to receive between 25 and 50 millimeters of rain.

The heat and humidity are expected to continue along parts of the Southeast and West Coast. Heat index values ​​are forecast to exceed 38 degrees Celsius in Raleigh, Savannah and Tallahassee, while parts of California and the Pacific Northwest remain under heat warnings.

The newspaper also reported that some areas of the Pacific Northwest could experience daytime temperatures between 35 and around 38 degrees Celsius through Tuesday.

Source: prizrenpost