US East Coast faces dangerous, uncommon storms

WASHINGTON

Dangerous and uncommon storms with widespread strong winds, hail and tornadoes are expected Monday afternoon and into the evening on the US East Coast, the weather service said.

"A severe weather outbreak is possible across parts of the eastern U.S. today with widespread damaging winds, locally destructive, and isolated tornadoes as the greatest threats from the southern and central Appalachians to the Mid-Atlantic States," the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said in a statement.

It declared a Level 4 out of 5 "moderate" risk of severe storms in parts of the Mid-Atlantic region, putting Washington, D.C. Baltimore, Maryland, and Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia in the area of highest risk.

It is said that Washington has been put under a level 4 risk for the first time since 2013.

The severe weather outlook stretches from Georgia to New York, affecting tens of millions of residents, with many under a level 3 "enhanced" risk of severe weather.

Storms are expected to start rolling in in the mid-to-late afternoon and through the evening, depending on location.