Tornado Risk in Washington, D.C. Area and Northeast, With Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Wind Advisories Issued

Parts of Virginia and Maryland, as well as Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are at risk of tornadoes following severe thunderstorms in the region on Thursday, with the storm heading northeast.

Severe thunderstorm warnings and wind advisories are in place around the Washington, D.C. area, as well as parts of the northeast, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned.

A severe thunderstorm warning is in place in parts of Virginia including Chincoteague, Exmore and Onancock (until 10.15 a.m., local time), Virginia Beach (until 10.45 a.m.), as well as Maryland including in Salisbury, Ocean Pines and Fruitland (until 10.45 a.m.), the NWS advised.

Philadelphia and Norristown in Pennsylvania have also been issued a severe thunderstorm warning until 10:15 a.m., while the warning has been extended to 10:45 a.m.in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton in Pennsylvania.

Dover, Smyrna and Milford in Delaware are also under a severe thunderstorm warning until 10:30 a.m.

A wind advisory remains in effect in the District of Columbia, central, northern and southern Maryland, and central and northern Virginia until 3 p.m., with wind gusts of up to 50-55 miles per hour, the NWS confirmed.

In Maryland, the areas under the wind advisory include Washington County and Northwest Montgomery County, while in Virginia they include the counties of Western Loudoun, Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan.

A wind advisory is issued when strong winds are occurring but are not strong enough to warrant a "High Wind Warning."

The wind advisory has been extended until 6 p.m. in some areas, including Central Virginia Blue Ridge and Northern Virginia Blue Ridge as well as Northern Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, southeast and northwest Harford County and northwest Howard County in Maryland.

"Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result," the NWS warned.

Around 700 people were reported to be without power in the Washington, D.C. area, according to local station radio station WTOP.

More than 2,400 people were said to have had their power cut in Virginia, mostly in the counties of Fairfax and Arlington, after some wires came down following a crash on Route 7 near South Walter Reed Drive, WTOP reported.

Much of the Washington, D.C. area was under a flood watch through early Friday morning following heavy rain on Thursday.

With the winter storm heading northeast, a wind advisory has also been issued for parts of northeast New Jersey, southern Connecticut and the Lower Hudson Valley of New York, with winds gusts of up to 50 miles per hour expected, the NWS said.

"The winter storm will rapidly strengthen Friday while lifting north across the Northeast. Heavy snow and blowing snow will make for dangerous travel from the E. Great Lakes into northern Maine. Freezing rain/wintry mix will create icy roads from Pennsylvania into southern Maine," the NWS said.

The stretch from Roanoke and Richmond in Virginia to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City are expected to see more rain and thunderstorms through Friday morning, which could potentially lead to brief tornadoes in the area from eastern Virginia to central and eastern Maryland as well as Delaware, southern New Jersey and southeast Pennsylvania during Friday afternoon, AccuWeather reports.

The northern half of the northeast region will be hit by a full-blown snowstorm by Friday night, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno.

"A general 6-12 inches of snow will fall in the swath from parts of northwestern and north-central Pennsylvania to central and northern Maine but a 12- to 18-inch band is in store farther over the northern tier of the Northeast," where around 24 inches of snow is likely, Rayno said.

A wind advisory is in effect in parts of New York State and Connecticut, including in the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys, Capital District, Taconics, eastern Catskills, mid-Hudson Valley and Berkshire of New York and Litchfield County in Connecticut. The advisory is in place until 10 p.m.