Showers, dreary weather to stick around in parts of the Southeast
AccuWeather forecasters say rounds of showers will stick around parts of the Southeast as dry and warm weather persists across the Northeast.
After a coastal storm spread heavy rain across much of the Southeast during the Memorial Day weekend, many are likely looking forward to a quick return to warmer, drier weather for the balance of this week. However, AccuWeather forecasters caution that rounds of showers, as well as overcast and dull conditions, will remain for the Carolinas and Virginia for the first half of this week.
That storm system that ruined holiday weekend plans had been forecast by AccuWeather's team of meteorologists since early last week and before it even developed offshore. While there was some concern that the system could take on tropical characteristics and even become the season's first-named storm. Despite the storm developing an eye with a nearly-closed circulation hours before moving on shore, it was deemed non-tropical in nature, and the official designation by National Hurricane Center did not occur. Regardless, heavy rain was a common sight n the Southeast, and ferocious winds offshore led to scary scenes onboard a cruise ship off the Carolina coast.
Despite the lack of a full-fledged tropical system, it was still a nasty weekend in parts of the region. Some of the heaviest rain was seen along the South Carolina coast, where Charleston picked up just over 2 inches of rain between Friday and Saturday. Similar totals were seen farther inland in cities such as Charlotte, with 2.17 inches falling there between Saturday and Sunday. This is a sizable percentage of Charlotte's historical average rainfall for the month of May, which is 3.36 inches.
Outside of this corridor, rainfall was more sporadic, though sizable totals were observed elsewhere. Savannah, Georgia, received 1.38 inches of rain on Saturday, while Richmond, Virginia and Raleigh, North Carolina, recorded just over 0.50 of an inch of rain over the weekend.
Through the middle of this week and perhaps even into the end of the week, the system will not be in a hurry to leave. Rather, the system may slowly become entrained with dry air.
"An upper low will be positioned over North Carolina and Virginia for the next couple of days, with little in place to steer the system away from the region. Because of this, rounds of showers and perhaps a rumble of thunder can be expected through the first half of the week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva explained.
States such as Maryland and Virginia may deal with wet conditions the longest as occasional showers linger into Wednesday. By the end of the week, cities such as Richmond and Washington, D.C., may finally catch a break from the dreary, wet weather.
Tropical development possible in early June
June 1 marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and there may be a broad area where a tropical or subtropical system could form during early June from the Caribbean to the Bahamas.
A dip in the jet stream and a front will linger off the southeast coast of the U.S. later this week. This will lead to areas of downpours and thunderstorms. It is in this area where some tropical activity could develop during the first several days of June.
The area from along the southeastern coast of the U.S. to the Caribbean has been highlighted by AccuWeather's long-range meteorologists as a zone to watch for both preseason and early-season development since the late winter and early spring. However, odds of this remain low at this time, and rounds of heavy rain in the Southeast can be expected regardless.
For some residents in the Southeast, any rain opportunities will be welcome. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, over half of Florida is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, with around 25% of the Sunshine State experiencing drought conditions. But farther north, where rain has been far more plentiful, any additional rain will bring a risk of flooding.
The first named storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season will be called Arlene. Recently, the NHC revealed that a system that developed off the New England coast in January was indeed a tropical storm after a post-storm analysis. Since the storm was not named at the time it was active, it was not assigned the first name on the list for this season.
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