Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

MORRISTOWN — The National Weather Service in Morristown has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for portions of southwest North Carolina, East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, warning of the potential for multiple rounds of strong to severe storms through midweek.

Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms are expected to move in later Thursday night, with the strongest storms likely across the Cumberland Plateau and southwest Virginia. Damaging winds and large hail are the primary threats.

On Friday, a few strong to severe storms are possible during the day, though forecasters say confidence in daytime storm development remains low. However, a more organized threat is expected Friday night into Saturday morning, with damaging straight-line winds up to 70 mph and hail up to 1.5 inches possible. Isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out.

Additional rounds of isolated strong to severe storms may develop Sunday and Monday across the southern Plateau and southeast Tennessee, with more widespread activity possible Tuesday.

The greatest threat may come Wednesday, when forecasters say a more widespread outbreak of severe storms is possible. Damaging winds and large hail are expected to be the main hazards, though the timing and extent of the storms remain uncertain.