COLUMBUS, OHIO — Severe weather risks are decreasing steadily across the region overnight, but forecasters are warning of a few gusts of 50 mph or greater and an isolated tornado possible by approximately 1 AM ET, with the threat concentrated in a corridor stretching from Columbus through Charleston and down into Knoxville, according to a late evening radar check-in as of ~10:15 PM EDT Saturday, August 1.
Isolated Tornado and Damaging Gusts Possible Overnight
Radar imagery shows an active line of storms tracking along a corridor from near Dayton and Columbus southeast through Charleston, West Virginia, then curving south through Lexington, Knoxville, Chattanooga and toward Huntsville and Atlanta. Forecasters have flagged this stretch as carrying the potential for 50 mph-plus wind gusts and an isolated tornado as storms continue organizing through roughly 1 AM ET.
The threat is tied to an area of low pressure, marked with an “L” on the radar map, currently positioned near Louisville, Kentucky, which is helping to organize and intensify the line of storms as it tracks southeastward overnight.
Rain Continues to Wrap Around Low Pressure Across Indiana and Illinois
While the severe risk is decreasing across Indiana and Illinois, forecasters note that scattered downpours and showers will continue to “wrap around” the low pressure system through the overnight hours. Radar shows this rotational band of rain stretching from near Fort Wayne and Kokomo through Indianapolis, Springfield and Peoria, curving back toward the low near Louisville.
This wraparound pattern means areas across central Indiana and Illinois should expect continued rounds of rain overnight, even as the more organized severe threat shifts toward the Ohio Valley and Appalachians.
Timing Through the Overnight Hours
The primary window for 50 mph-plus gusts and the isolated tornado threat runs through approximately 1 AM ET, with the corridor from Columbus and Charleston down through Knoxville and Chattanooga representing the area of greatest concern as storms continue tracking southeast…