Severe thunderstorms crossed the southern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and Mid-Atlantic on September 3, producing damaging winds and power disruptions. SPC placed eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania under an Enhanced Risk that day, within a broader Slight Risk extending from the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes into the Mid-Atlantic.

NWS Detroit/Pontiac documented extensive tree damage in Allen Park, Michigan. A trained spotter reported branches approximately 30 cm (1 foot) in diameter down along Park Avenue between Englewood and Thomas at 16:08 EDT (20:08 UTC) on September 3.

DTE Energy reported early September 4 that service had been restored to 145 000 customers affected by severe weather on September 2 and 3, including more than 75 000 restored overnight.

More than 3 700 crew members were working across the utility’s service area, with another 300 lineworkers expected to arrive later Friday. DTE expected 65% of affected customers to have service restored by the end of Friday and 90% by Saturday.

Duquesne Light Company reported that winds exceeding 113 km/h (70 mph) knocked down trees, power lines and other equipment across its service territory in Allegheny and Beaver counties, Pennsylvania.

Crews had restored service to more than 40 000 customers by Friday morning, reducing outages from a peak of approximately 60 000 to about 18 000.

Approximately 240 mutual-assistance personnel from New York, Florida, Alabama and Quebec were traveling to the region to support DLC crews and contractors.

DLC said another round of severe weather was forecast from Friday afternoon into the evening, including possible damaging winds and localized flooding. The utility warned that hazardous conditions could temporarily delay restoration work if crews had to suspend operations for safety.

An Automated Surface Observing System at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 103 km/h (64 mph) at 23:52 EDT on September 3 (03:52 UTC on September 4). NWS Baltimore/Washington included the observation in a preliminary local storm report.

Buffalo Airport recorded 77.2 mm (3.04 inches) of precipitation on September 3, breaking the previous daily record of 45.5 mm (1.79 inches) set in 1878, according to NWS Buffalo.

SPC maintained a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms from the southern Great Lakes into the Mid-Atlantic in its 12:55 UTC Day 1 outlook on September 4. Organized thunderstorm clusters could produce damaging wind gusts across the southern Great Lakes and middle to upper Ohio Valley through Friday night.

Strong thunderstorms east of the Blue Ridge could also produce damaging gusts during the afternoon and evening.

SPC’s Day 2 outlook, issued at 05:04 UTC on September 4, placed a Slight Risk from the central Appalachians to coastal North Carolina for September 5. Severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging gusts were possible during the afternoon and evening as an upper-level disturbance moved through strengthening northwesterly flow.

The Weather Prediction Center introduced a lower-end Slight Risk of excessive rainfall for eastern and coastal North Carolina from 12:00 UTC on September 5 to 12:00 UTC on September 6.

Thunderstorms associated with sea-breeze boundaries could develop initially, followed by more widespread activity as a front approached later in the day. WPC said rainfall on September 4 could increase soil moisture before the additional storms arrived.

References:

1 Storm update — DTE Energy — accessed September 4, 2026

2 Day 1 Convective Outlook — NOAA/SPC — September 4, 2026

3 Record-breaking precipitation at Buffalo Airport — NOAA/NWS Buffalo— September 4, 2026