AccuWeather.com

By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

Oct 17, 2011; 7:53 PM ET

Share |

Wet, windy and wild weather will lash much of the Ohio Valley and the East this week, complete with the threat of flooding, severe weather, damage and travel headaches.

Enough cold air will follow that snow will even make an appearance for some.

A storm system spreading rain across the central Plains and stirring an extreme fire threat on the southern Plains will head east across the South through early this week.

A windswept and soaking rain will first overspread the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on Tuesday, before it overspreads the rain-weary Northeast on Tuesday night into Wednesday.

An area of low pressure is also being monitored for tropical development in the Gulf of Mexico. Whether the low develops tropically or not, it will continue to spread torrential downpours into Florida and pull moisture into the storm heading into the East at midweek.

Flood Threat

Torrential rainfall will expand across the Ohio Valley and the Northeast on Tuesday night through Wednesday night, threatening flooding. Low-lying, poor drainage and urban areas are especially susceptible to flash flooding.

Widespread rainfall amounts of 1-3 inches will be common across the Ohio Valley and the Northeast. It appears that cities, suburbs and countryside locations from Ohio to southern Ontario, Canada, and a second zone along the I-95 corridor could be deluged by even more rain with amounts of 3-4 inches possible.

Some of the cities that may be threatened by the heaviest rain include: Columbus, Ohio, Erie, Pa., and Buffalo, N.Y., as well as New York City and Boston.

"Flooding will ensue faster where fallen leaves clog drains," warns Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

It will be hard for people to stay dry due to the windswept nature of the rain. Rain jackets and rain boots are recommended.

It will not just be flooding that will be a threat in the East this week. Some thunderstorms could turn severe across Florida and coastal portions of Georgia and South Carolina on Tuesday as much cooler air behind the storm clashes with the tropical air taking residence. Flash flooding, damaging winds, hail and tornadoes could be spawned by the strongest thunderstorms that develop. A few thunderstorms across the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys may also turn strong.

On Wednesday, thunderstorms may continue to rattle the mid-Atlantic and Southeast coastlines with similar threats.

High Winds

Windy conditions will hammer much of the eastern third of the nation from the middle to latter part of the week. Widespread wind gusts of more than 40 mph will lash the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast.

Wind gusts could top 60 mph, turning damaging, especially from Michigan to Ohio. Water-logged trees and power lines could come crashing down, causing power outages and damage to buildings and cars.

Travel Woes

Ponding of water on highways, including portions of I-70, I-71, I-80, I-81, I-90 and I-95, will lead to an increased risk of hydroplaning. Fallen leaves from whipping winds will also be wet and slippery on roadways.

Many roads may be closed by flooding, causing even more headaches for motorists.

Airline passengers will likely run into problems due to the heavy rain, low clouds and the high winds. Delays at the major airports of the Northeast and Ohio Valley could lead to some ripple effect delays across the nation at midweek.

Wet snowflakes could mix in and fly around the upper Great Lakes and then over higher elevations of the Appalachians as colder air pours in behind the stormy weather.

Keep checking back with AccuWeather.com on the latest on the wet, wild, and windy weather this week.