Catskills, brace for "potentially life-threatening weather" today

Much of New York State is under special weather warnings for this afternoon and evening, with forecasters predicting severe thunderstorms, high wind, large hail, and possibly even tornadoes.

The National Weather Service warns of the threat of severe thunderstorms across all of Eastern New York and Western New England:

Severe Thunderstorm Outbreak Possible Today

There Is A Threat For Significant Severe Thunderstorms This Afternoon And Evening. The Main Hazards Will Be Damaging Wind Gusts...Large Hail And Even Isolated Tornadoes. The Area With The Greatest Threat Appears To Be Just South Of The Capital Region...Although The Entire Region Of East Central New York And Western New England Has The Potential For Violent Severe Thunderstorms.

The Time Frame For When The Threat Will Be Greatest Will Be From Around 2 PM Through Midnight. Extensive Cloud Cover This Morning Will Give Way To At Least Partial Sunshine By Early This Afternoon...Especially From The Mohawk Valley And Capital Region Southward. This Will Allow For Instability To Develop...Along With Humidity Surging Northward Into The Region Associated With A Warm Front.

This Will Set The Stage For Multiple Rounds Of Thunderstorms To Develop And Move Across The Area. Keep An Eye To The Sky And Be Aware Of Potentially Life Threatening Weather Developing Today. Severe Weather Watches And Warnings Will Likely Be Issued This Afternoon. For The Latest Updates...Please Visit Our Webpage At www.Weather.Gov/Albany.

Delaware, Sullivan, Broome and Tioga counties also have a warning issued:

A Significant Severe Weather Outbreak Is Expected This Afternoon And Evening... Showers And Thunderstorms Are Expected To Develop This Afternoon And Continue Into The Evening Hours...Generally Between 2 And 8 PM.

These Storms Are Forecast To Develop Across The Central Southern Tier And Finger Lakes Region Around 2 PM And Track Eastward. These Storms Have The Potential To Become Severe With The Main Threats Being Damaging Winds And Large Hail...But Isolated Tornadoes Cannot Be Ruled Out.

Stay Tuned To Noaa Weather Radio...Or Local Media Outlets...For The Latest Updates...Including Possible Watches And Warnings.

We'll keep you posted throughout the day with the latest alerts for the Catskills region.