Greenbelt Could See 'Damaging Winds, Large Hail, and Tornadoes'

Central Maryland and much of the Mid-Atlantic are at risk for severe storms Wednesday night and Thursday, the National Weather Service reports.

The NWS hazardous weather outlook for the region warns of thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, large hail, and flash flooding. Tornadoes are also a possibility on Thursday.

The same system may produce a derecho over the Midwest Wednesday, according to AccuWeather.com meteorologist Anthony Sagliani.

The NWS describes a derecho as "a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms."

As many Maryland residents may recall, a derecho can pack a powerful punch. In June of 2012, one such storm wreaked havoc in the region, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of households in the D.C. metro area and badly damaging some buildings.

Check back with Patch for coverage of any severe weather events in the region.