AccuWeather.com

By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

Mar 15, 2010; 5:45 AM ET

Share |

Miserable, rainy and windy weather will continue along the Interstate 95 corridor today, from Portland, Maine, to Philadelphia, Pa., as a nor'easter spins off the coast. More travel disruptions and flooding will result before the storm finally moves away tonight into Tuesday.

The heaviest rain and strongest winds will continue to target southern Maine through southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Many communities in this zone have been soaked by 4-6 inches of rain already. Another inch of rain could fall over similar areas before the storm is over.

As of Monday morning, Boston has received nearly 5.0 inches of rain, while Concord, Bedford and Milton, Mass., have received more than 6.5 inches of rain. Farther south, Elizabeth, N.J., was inundated by 7.04 inches of rain.

On Sunday, flooding was widespread with very serious flooding across portions of Massachusetts. Mudslides occurred along Route 1 in Topsfield, Mass., forcing the road to be closed. Several other roads were closed in the area due to river flooding.

More flooding of low-lying and poor drainage areas and areas along streams and rivers will occur today and tonight. In fact, there could be record stages reached along some rivers.

At Winchester, Mass., the Aberjona River is in major flood stages, less than a foot away from the record flood stage of 16.8 feet. The Pawtuxet River at Cranston, R.I., will come close to the old record flood stage of 14.5 feet today.

More roads and highways could be inundated by flood waters, forcing officials to close them. If you come across a road with water over it, turn around and find an alternate route. The extra time it will take to get to your destination can save your life.

Many people will also be dealing with basement flooding.

Schools in portions of New Jersey are even closed due to all of the flooding.

Flooding along some rivers in the Northeast can last into the middle of the week, while flood waters continue gushing downstream.

Wind gusts between 35 and 50 mph will also howl across eastern New England today. Winds of this magnitude could down more tree limbs and power lines, putting additional people in the dark. Small trees could succumb to the strongest winds, especially with the ground extremely saturated.

The winds will put the New England and Long Island beaches facing northeast at greatest risk for coastal flooding, mainly at the time of high tide.

The direction of the gusty winds blowing over the mid-Atlantic will bring the coastal flood threat to the north- and northwest-facing beaches of this region.

Airline passengers from Portland to Philadelphia will encounter delays due to the rain and gusty winds today.

Occasional showers will dampen other areas of the Northeast and down the spine of the Appalachians.

Rain and wind will both be easing overnight. Sunshine will even return to to the Northeast during the day on Tuesday. The big story will switch to warming temperatures for later in the week.