Heavy rain hitting Monday travel hard in coastal Northeast
The same storm responsible for deadly tornadoes this past weekend is blasting the coastal Northeast with heavy rain and flooding problems on Monday.
Millions across the Northeast and Midwest are in the middle of a temperature rollercoaster, with milder conditions in the offing following a chilly, and in some areas snowy, start to the week.
As a storm intensifies and travels northeastward, a swath of heavy rain will profoundly impact travel in coastal areas of the upper mid-Atlantic and New England into Monday afternoon, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Localized flooding is likely, along with the risk of lingering sporadic power outages following strong winds from Sunday night.
Heavy rain may lead to street flooding and ponding along highways with poor drainage as rain continues to pour down in eastern New England. The storm has already delivered a general 1-2 inches of rain on the mid-Atlantic region, but portions of New England will end up with 3-4 inches of rain by the time colder and drier air sweeps in from the west.
"The heavy rain, in addition to water released by melting snow [in some areas of New Hampshire and Maine], could have the effect of 4-8 inches of rain falling, which will greatly increase the stream and river flooding threat across portions of Vermont and New Hampshire," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
On Sunday, forecasters outlined the potential for intense rainfall across parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island and central Massachusetts into early Monday morning. The dangerous combination of heavy rainfall rates quickly saturating the ground and gusty winds blowing across the region triggered zones of flash flooding, downed trees and power outages.
"Some rain will linger into Monday morning in New York City, with gusty winds and heavier rain lingering longer in Boston," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said.
Any rain showers on Monday in Philadelphia will be brief. However, many locations along the Eastern Seaboard, especially those in the Northeast, may still be reeling from heavy rain and gusty winds through lunchtime. Travel delays will likely linger into the afternoon, especially at the airports.
On Monday, more than 100 flights have been delayed at the Northeast major hubs into the midday hours, according to FlightAware.com.
"All areas along the I-95 zone should dry out as the afternoon continues with chillier air returning after the amazing warmth much of the weekend," DeVore said. The number of flight delays should subside in the Northeast as rain leaves the zone from New York City to Boston.
Where the cold air catches up to the back side of the rain in parts of the Appalachians and especially the interior Northeast, several inches to perhaps a foot or more of snow may pile up quickly over the higher elevations.
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