Weekend Weather Update from FOX Weather: Omega blocking pattern fuels thunderstorm, flooding threats across US
Tens of millions of people in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic are facing a flash flood risk as we close out the weekend and begin a new workweek due to relentless rounds of rain and some thunderstorms fueled by a stubborn Omega blocking pattern over the U.s.
An "Omega block" is named after the Greek letter Ω and disrupts the usual zonal flow of weather systems.
The FOX Forecast Center said the blocking pattern has caused a so-called cutoff low-pressure system to stall over the Ohio Valley. This system is feeding moisture off the Atlantic Ocean, funneling precipitation into the region.
An Omega blocking weather pattern has set up across the U.S., with forecasters warning that it will lead to a stagnant pattern of prolonged periods of warmth in some areas and steady, flooding rain in others.
As a result, two distinct regions of precipitation are expected to dominate the workweek: one stretching from the Southwest to the southern Plains and Gulf Coast, with the other affecting the Northeast.
This type of pattern is not known to produce extensive severe weather outbreaks, as the dynamics aren't in place, but localized bouts with hail and damaging wind gusts are possible.
Four people were injured as a roof partially collapsed during a severe thunderstorm in Georgia on Friday, one of nearly 200 damage reports filtering in after some 1,500 miles of thunderstorms swept across a dozen states from Texas to New York.
According to the Forsyth County Fire Department, the roof collapse happened just before 1 p.m. Friday in Alpharetta as a severe thunderstorm brought wind and hail.
Employees were inside the medical supply company at the time of the storm, and firefighters arrived to find all had made it out safely. However, four employees suffered minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
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