An outbreak of severe weather could hit the Northeast Thursday evening, with some meteorologists predicting a wallop similar to the 'derecho' that knocked out power around Washington, D.C., for days.

There is ""potential for a widespread damaging wind event/derecho" from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Hartford, Conn., to the Storm Prediction Center stated Thursday evening.

Forecasters slapped the tri-state New York area with a "moderate risk" of severe weather, noting that New York City will have a high chance of tornadoes. As of this writing, New York City was given a 45 percent chance of enduring winds stronger than hurricane force.

Some models of what may hit New York appear similar to the "supercell" storms that strike the Midwest's Tornado Alley.

The "derecho" is defined as a weather event that contains wind gusts of at least 58 mph along a 240-mile wall of meteorological fury. A similar storm knocked out electricity for 4.3 million people from New Jersey to North Carolina.

Should you have the time to prepare, clear out your outdoor spaces of anything that can fly and kill someone, then get inside and wait out the storm.

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