After a warm start to the week across the Northeast, attention has now turned to the threat of more heavy rain that started Wednesday and brought the threat of flooding to millions of people across the region.
This latest threat comes from the same deadly system that blasted the South with severe weather on Wednesday, prompting numerous Tornado Warnings and Flash Flood Emergencies.
Powerful system to engulf eastern US
The intensifying low-pressure system is expected to track northeast toward the Great Lakes throughout the day on Thursday and into Thursday night.
As it does so, intensifying rain will engulf the eastern half of the US, with the heaviest rain falling near and along the track of the system as it spins off to the northeast.
The FOX Forecast Center said about 1-2 inches of rain could fall from the mid-Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes.
In addition, the size and strength of the system will bring the threat of high wind gusts across most of the eastern US, including the Great Lakes, Midwest, Ohio Valley and Northeast.
The FOX Forecast Center expects wind gusts up to 40 mph across the region from Buffalo in New York and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania through New York City and Boston.
Flooding possible despite lower rain totals
In terms of rainfall totals, the FOX Forecast Center really isn’t expecting blockbuster totals.
Most locations being impacted by this system will only see about 1-2 inches of rain through Saturday, with some locally higher amounts of 2-3 inches in parts of Pennsylvania, upstate New York and northern New England.
However, the ground is already extremely saturated from relentless rain that has been pounding the region since the start of the year.
In fact, Providence in Rhode Island, Wilmington in Delaware and Hartford in Connecticut are seeing some of the wettest starts to the year on record.
Providence has seen a whopping 26.07 inches of rain since Jan. 1, and Hartford has seen just over 20 inches.
Wilmington has seen nearly 19 inches.
Needless to say, even low precipitation totals could lead to flash flooding.
Because of that risk, NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has placed millions of people in a Level 2 out of 4 risk of excessive rainfall on Thursday from the Ohio Valley eastward into the mid-Atlantic and portions of the central Appalachian Mountains, which are still recovering from deadly flooding last week.
The risk of flooding due to rain and snowmelt continues to be possible across portions of New Hampshire and Maine in northern New England.
“Heavy rainfall along with warm temperatures will cause rapid melting of snowpack from the foothills northward,” the National Weather Service said.
“This will increase the runoff into streams and rivers. Moderate to heavy rainfall over partially frozen ground will support the potential for flash flooding as well as river flooding.”
Flooding is also possible across portions of Ohio and Indiana, with the National Weather Service issuing a Flood Watch through Friday morning.
“Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible,” the National Weather Service said.
“A half-inch to an inch of rain has already fallen, and an additional half-inch to an inch of rain is expected between today and Friday morning.”
Coastal flood alerts have also been posted up and down the East Coast from the Carolinas in the mid-Atlantic to Massachusetts in New England.
Strong onshore winds, in combination with astronomically higher tides, are threatening to inundate communities along the shore.
Coastal Flood Warnings have been issued in several counties in Maryland, including cities such as Ocean City and Salisbury, where coastal communities could see about 2 feet of inundation.
“Widespread flooding of vulnerable areas will result in an elevated threat of property damage to homes and businesses near the waterfront and shoreline,” the National Weather Service said.
That could force officials to close numerous roads and threaten structures. Flooding will also extend inland from the waterfront along tidal rivers and bays, resulting in more road closures and possibly even flooded vehicles.
The Coastal Flood Warnings also extend into northern Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, and western New Jersey.
