Severe weather possible Monday as strong cold front pushes through the area

A broad line of rain and storms is slowly moving from west to east through Richmond and Central Virginia.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for the Dan River Region until 8 p.m.

Noon- 5 p.m.: Isolated to scattered storms.

A cold front will be the mechanism to trigger storms Monday afternoon.

There is a Flash Flood Watch in effect for all of western MA beginning at noon, and ending at 4:00 a.m. Tuesday.

Severe weather is most likely between 3 and 8 p.m., the National Weather Service says. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

The threat for severe weather will be with us during the afternoon & evening hours.

"We will be dealing with areas of heavy rainfall, as well as some of that frequent lightning, and even some gusty winds will be a factor", Walls said. Warnings are issued for individual storms if they have the potential to produce damaging wind gusts, large hail, or a tornado.

There is now a thunderstorm warning issued for Carroll, Frederick, Howard, and Montgomery Counties until 3:45 p.m. Combined with strong solar heating through the morning, the atmosphere is becoming moderately unstable. The line may wane a bit as it crosses the spine of the Appalachians, but then is expected to re-intensify on the eastern side.