Thunderstorms are expected to build in Columbus this evening, bringing the kind of weather that can turn fast and rough. Damaging wind gusts will be the main concern, but an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out as the storms move east and southeast across the area.
Andrew Buck Michael is monitoring the system for ABC 6 News at 11, and the timing is why people are watching now. A FLOOD WATCH is in place until 8am, and the ground in many areas is already saturated, which means even a short burst of heavy rain can quickly become a bigger problem.
The setup is simple and ugly. A disturbance moving across Indiana will run into warm, unstable air this evening, and that can fuel storms that develop during the mid-afternoon and continue into the evening. Heavy rainfall is possible with the strongest cells, and repeated rounds of thunderstorms could dump several inches of rain where the same area gets hit more than once.
That is where the forecast gets harder to dismiss. Wind is the primary threat, but increasing wind shear near the ground gives the storms enough structure that an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. The flood threat is also not limited to one round of rain; the atmosphere will stay very moist overnight, leaving room for more water to pile up if storms keep training over the same ground.
Sunday brings another round. Scattered thunderstorms could develop during the afternoon as a cold front moves into the region, and some of those storms could become severe. Increasing wind shear could again support an isolated tornado, while the front finally pushes through late Sunday into Sunday night and brings an end to the warm, humid pattern.
For Columbus, the practical answer is that the worst of the weather threat runs through the weekend, not just one evening. Some places could end up with several inches of rain before the system clears, and the beginning of next week should feel different fast, with temperatures falling back to near or slightly below normal and humidity turning noticeably lower.
