Tornado Watch In Effect For Majority Of Region Until 10 PM

By Kate Bilo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's been a crazy day of weather as a large-scale storm system impacts the entire Eastern Seaboard!

Round 1 was this morning, with heavy downpours and flooded roadways. That rain cleared, and our area entered into what's known as the "warm sector" of this large advancing system. What this means is that winds from the southwest brought in ample moisture, and the sun emerging from the clouds helped to destabilize the atmosphere.

The heat and moisture across the area provide ample fuel for severe storms to fire along an advancing cold front. This strong front will cross the area during the evening hours. Storms will pop along this boundary and may quickly turn severe.

Despite the ominous "tornado watch" wording, the biggest threats for our area remain damaging straight line winds, hail and heavy rain. However, when you're in a warm sector with a warm front pushing north, you tend to get a lot of low-level shear, which is something tornadoes feed upon. Therefore, an isolated tornado or two cannot be ruled out in the entire watch zone.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you posted on air and online.

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