Widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected to turn severe for the northeastern United States this week
Widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected to turn severe for the northeastern United States this week
Widespread showers and thunderstorms, including some that are expected to turn severe, are in the forecast for the northeastern United States this week.
The volatile weather will affect some of the largest metropolitan areas in the region and will also precede a significant cooldown, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The severe weather threat will shift from the Midwest and into a zone from eastern New York and southwestern New England to the eastern parts of Virginia and North Carolina Thursday as a cold front progresses through the region.
The threat zone includes some of the most populated areas in the eastern U.S. from near Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and New York City. While the most common risks from the storms will stem from strong wind gusts that can break tree limbs and trigger sporadic power outages as well as brief torrential downpours that can lead to flash urban flooding, there is the potential for a couple of isolated tornadoes to spin up as well.
Forecasters say that although the risk of tornadoes is low, any twister that manages to briefly develop could be concealed by heavy rain and/or low-hanging clouds.
People commuting or spending time outdoors should stay alert for rapidly changing weather conditions and keep up with weather bulletins, experts warn. The AccuWeather app is one such source to get the latest forecasts and weather information.
Both the thunderstorms and showers have the potential to organize into a single line that will contain a brief period of strong winds and downpours. In other words, it is possible that severe weather will occur without any thunder or lightning. Areas from the central Appalachians to northern New England may be the most likely to experience severe showers without thunder and lightning.
Small hail could accompany some of the strongest thunderstorms as well.
As the line of showers and storms swing through, flight delays will be possible at major airport hubs.
In New England, a longer-lasting period of heavy rain and strong winds is likely to occur as the front swings from a south-to-north fashion to more of a northwest-to-southeast orientation.
If it were not for ongoing drought conditions in much of New England, widespread flooding might result. Much of the rain that falls may be absorbed by the landscape. However, in some locations the rain may still come down so hard and fast that it may quickly run off and lead to flash flooding.
This is most likely to occur in areas where leaves have begun to fall and may block storm drains. A few small streams may also quickly rise given the general 1-4 inches of rain that is forecast to fall in less than 12 hours from Thursday afternoon to early Friday.
Stiff south to southeast winds that occur ahead of the cold front and during the rain can lead to a period of above-normal tides and minor coastal flooding in Long Island, New York, and New England Thursday night.
The same dose of heavy rain will pivot through the central Appalachians and upstate New York region from late Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon. Flash flooding will be possible in these areas, forecasters caution.
Where leaves have fallen, the rain can also lead to slick conditions on secondary roads and sidewalks around city streets.
In the wake of the storms, multiple rounds of chilly air will pivot around a large storm that develops at the jet stream level of the atmosphere over the Great Lakes. Since this cold air machine will remain anchored over the Great Lakes, the chilliest air may have trouble pushing to the mid-Atlantic coast and through New England.
For example, at sea level in New York City, high temperatures are forecast to trend downward from the lower 70s Wednesday and Thursday to just the mid-60s by this weekend. Meanwhile, at an elevation of 2,100 feet in the Appalachians, high temperatures in Bradford, Pennsylvania, will trend downward from the upper 60s Wednesday to the lower 50s this weekend and potentially into the 40s next week.
Snow showers are likely to make their presence known in the Upper Midwest from this weekend to next week, and the first snowflakes of the season could appear in parts of the central Appalachians as well.
Parts of the Midwest will likely record some of the lowest temperatures of the season so far, especially during the daytime hours when clouds and showers dominate. Widespread highs in the 50s are forecast with some northern-tier locations of the Midwest not likely to rise past the 40s this weekend through much of next week. The weather pattern around the Great Lakes could get rather chaotic with periodic gusty showers, including some that could contain hail. Waterspouts could also, develop during this weather pattern.
Even people throughout the Interstate 95 corridor of the Northeast will notice the change to cooler weather this weekend following the surge of warmth into Thursday. Blustery conditions will accompany a return of sunshine and will add to the chill in shady locations as well as during the evening hours as the sun goes down.
Produced in association with AccuWeather.
