Flood risk mounting along Northeast's I-95 corridor into Saturday evening
The region was waterlogged on Saturday as several inches of rain poured down, but AccuWeather meteorologists say that the entire weekend will not be a washout.
Just after the end of a winter very lacking in snow across the Northeast, the first days of spring brought a wintry blast from Pennsylvania to Vermont.
A burst of heavy rain is drenching the Northeast's Interstate 95 corridor to kick off the weekend, raising concerns of urban flooding and slow travel and ruining outdoor plans. The quick-hitting nature of the storm will allow for a return of dry weather and sunshine by Sunday, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
"Expect slow travel with flooding on streets, highways and in poor drainage areas," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said.
"Two to 4 inches of rain is expected to fall from Washington, D.C., to Boston," Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
Philadelphia International Airport recorded just over 3 inches of rain prior to 2 p.m. ET Saturday, smashing the daily record of 1.36 inches set in 2005, as rain continued to fall. This also marked the wettest calendar day ever recorded in March, beating out the 2.79 inches that fell on March 15, 1912.
Rainfall rates of 1 inch to 1.25 inches per hour may prove to be too much for storm drains to handle.
As of March 22, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Portland, Maine, had all received close to or above their historical average rainfall for the entire month. This rainstorm will push these totals even further past typical levels.
Stiff coastal winds of 30-45 mph with locally higher gusts will create above-normal tides that can result in coastal flooding and beach erosion. The swift movement of the storm will limit these coastal concerns to 12 hours or less.
The combination of the rain, a low cloud ceiling and gusty winds will likely lead to airline delays and flight cancellations into the first part of the weekend for the major Northeast travel hubs.
On the northern side of the storm, moisture will meet up with lingering cold air and result in a swath of heavy snow across New England.
"The good news is the storm looks more progressive or faster moving, so precipitation should be winding down Saturday night," DeVore said.
The weather on Sunday will be more favorable for outdoor activities with dry conditions and sunshine. Temperatures will be near to a few degrees below historical averages, which are generally in the 40s and 50s F.
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