Severe thunderstorm watch until 7pm for the entire area. Damaging winds are primary threat. pic.twitter.com/BnI3TY5nIE
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) May 28, 2015NEW YORK CITY — Thunderstorms could lash the city with 58 mph winds and hailstones the size of a quarter during the Thursday evening rush-hour commute ahead of a wet weekend, forecasters said,
The National Weather Service issued "a thunderstorm watch" for the city and region until 7 p.m. Thursday as an eastbound cold front moves through the area and could potentially clash with the humid 80-degree air, a spokesman said.
"There’s warm humid weather ahead of the front. The added instability — for lack of a better term — could cause these storms to pop up. If they do, it could be severe," said the weather service's Joe Pollina.
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The "thunderstorm watch" means that there's a possibility for severe thunderstorms, "which means, winds gusting to 58 mph or greater and or hail the diameter of one inch, the size of an American quarter," Pollina said.
#SevereThunderstorm Watch until 7PM for NYC: Winds of 40MPH+ can be expected. Use caution when walking/driving. http://t.co/VYE0syIJF4.
— NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) May 28, 2015
The city will likely be dampened by one-tenth of an inch of rainfall, unless a heavier storm hits, Pollina said.
"If we do see a thunderstorm develop in one specific area we could see higher amounts," Pollina said.
Forecasters said that the weather will likely clear after 7 p.m. and remain dry until Saturday afternoon.
"It'll be dry through at least the morning on Saturday," Pollina said.
"Then, there'll be a better chance on Sunday for more showers and thunderstorms," he added.
