Rainstorm to drench, slow travel on East Coast of US prior to Easter
A storm will spring up along the Atlantic coast through Friday and produce a narrow swath of drenching rain, which may slow travel and hinder outdoor activities.
Some coastal areas will face the potential of flooding as a storm slowly moves out into the Atlantic in the final days of March.
A front will slow down along the Atlantic Seaboard long enough to sync up with a storm from the southern United States to run northward through Friday. AccuWeather meteorologists say that how far inland the rain extends will depend on the storm's track. Some flooding is anticipated and at least some of the opening day Major League Baseball games have already been postponed.
The cool front that is hooked up to the same storm that dumped heavy snow on the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest at the start of the week continued to grind toward the East Coast at midweek. Enough moisture remained with the front to produce clouds and showers from New England to Virginia, with locally severe thunderstorms from the Carolinas to northern Florida.
Rain gathers on a window overlooking Citi Field during a rain delay of a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers Friday, April 26, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Typically, that would be the end of the story and within a few hours, the rain would move offshore and clearing would commence. However, the front will slow down and stall in this case. As this occurs, a disturbance will move northward along the front, resulting in bouts of heavier rain.
"How strong that storm becomes as it moves northward will determine the western extent of the drenching rain," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said. The difference of a few dozen miles may constitute drenching rain and localized flooding to an occasional shower to no rain at all.
A stronger storm would move more slowly and track farther to the west, but if it stays weak, it will move faster with the heaviest rain staying farther east.
"At this time, the back edge of the heaviest rain will end up close to Interstate 95 from the mid-Atlantic to New England," Dombek said. "This puts many of the major cities, including Baltimore and Philadelphia on the edge of the heavy rain and lesser showers."
New York City and Boston will be in the soak zone.
Low clouds and rain may lead to airline delays at the coastal hubs in the Northeast.
Thursday was scheduled to be the first regular-season games of the year for a number of teams in Major League Baseball across the U.S. However, games scheduled in New York City and Philadelphia have already been postponed.
The back edge of the rain set up close to Baltimore into Wednesday night, but is forecast to creep eastward and away through the day Thursday. Dry air west of the storm may allow baseball to be played in Baltimore later today.
Enough rain may fall to lead to another round of flooding in poor drainage areas along the East Coast, including some city streets, as well as the formation of large puddles on some highways.
A general 1-2 inches of rain is expected from South Carolina to Maine from the storm. The heaviest rain is forecast to fall across portions of eastern North Carolina to southeastern New England, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 5 inches.
The rain, breezes and choppy water generated by the storm may hamper search and rescue efforts following the ship collision and collapse of the Frances Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore from early Tuesday morning.
"Many of the beach communities from Maryland to New Jersey, Long Island, New York; and Massachusetts will be in for a thorough soaking," Dombek added.
The combination of melting snow and drenching rain simultaneously will lead to significant runoff into small streams and rivers in northern New England. The 1-3 inches of water locked up in the snow in much of Maine and the coastal storm may bring 1-2 inches of rain, making the combined effect of 2-5 inches of runoff in a matter of 12-24 hours.
Heavy rain and the risk of localized flooding will also affect eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.
The storm may work to keep tides elevated along the Atlantic coast until winds flip around to the west and northwest at the end of the week. Tides have been running high due to the proximity of the recent full moon.
Drier air will sweep across the mid-Atlantic region on Friday. Gusty winds may take away from the warming effects of the sun for those spending time outdoors. Forecasters recommend taking a jacket if heading out to ball games and egg hunts.
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