Late-week storm with heavy rain, mountain snow to eye parts of eastern US
As chilly as the weather will be in the Northeast much of this week, a late week storm will add to the degrading pattern with heavy rain and even wet snow for some locations.
Early spring comes with constantly changing temperatures. Make use of the AccuWeather app, including the AccuWeather RealFeel®, to make the best decisions based on warm or cold days in your area.
As an unseasonably cold weather pattern continues to evolve in the Northeast this week, a storm is expected to form and bring drenching rain—along with some snow at high elevations—by the weekend, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Painfully cold at times this week, reminiscent of February
The much-colder-than-historical-average pattern will continue much of this week, with temperatures at times dipping 10-20 degrees below what is typical for a 30-year average.
Windy episodes and precipitation will result in AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures that can be 10-20 degrees lower than the actual temperature.
Midweek storm to bring some rain, wet snow
At midweek, a small zone of rain and wet snow is expected across the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and central Appalachians.
The midweek storm will be small and moisture-starved but may produce some accumulating wet snow in parts of the Upper Midwest.
Late-week storm to bring drenching rain, high-elevation snow
The late-week storm will swing across flood-ravaged areas of the mid-Mississippi and Tennessee valleys Thursday with little precipitation. However, as it drifts east of the Appalachians, it will gain strength and draw moisture from both the Gulf and the Atlantic.
The storm may produce 1-3 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts possible, in some areas from the Carolinas to the mid-Atlantic and New England. With downpours embedded in the steadier rain, localized urban flooding could occur.
"Right now, it looks like while some wet snow can mix in at intermediate elevations of the Appalachians, locations of 2,500 feet or higher could experience several inches of snow," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said of the late-week storm.
Snow levels can dip to as low as 1,800 feet or so in the Poconos and Catskills for a time, where there can be a slushy coating to an inch or two.
Should the storm linger longer than Friday night, additional cold air feeding into the storm could bring snow levels lower and increase snowfall over the mountains.
As the weekend approaches in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, rain may pose problems for travelers and those with outdoor plans. Fog, downpours and thunderstorms could lead to airline delays, while the wet weather may spoil a day at the ballpark, a walk in the park or a round of golf.
Storm to ease drought problems, wildfire risk
Aside from urban ponding, the rain could be beneficial, helping to ease long-term dryness and developing drought conditions that have persisted in parts of the East since well back into the winter.
When combined with the typical spring greenup underway, the soaking rain should bring an end to wildfire concerns in the short term.
However, the wildfire risk may persist in areas that miss out on the rain.
One area where wildfires have been a problem this spring is Florida. March to April is typically a very dry period in the region, as thunderstorms fueled by warmth and high humidity do not typically ramp up significantly until May.
Rainfall in much of central and South Florida has been about 50% of the historical average since the start of the year, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said.
"Saturday could be a troublesome day for the Florida Peninsula with warm, dry air and stiff breezes," Dombek stated. "This will be especially true where any landscape-drenching showers manage to avoid locations during the week."
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