Showers, storms to advance into I-95 corridor and threaten flooding
As heat and humidity hold on in the eastern United States, a slow-moving swath of drenching showers and thunderstorms will advance from the Appalachians to the Eastern Seaboard and eventually stall as the week progresses.
While widespread severe weather is not anticipated this week, isolated severe storms are anticipated.
A storm hit the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Chattanooga, Tennessee, causing damage to the roof of the terminal. Despite the damage, the airport remained open, according to WRCBtv. A wind gust of 56 mph was clocked at the airport's weather station as the storm whipped through.
On Wednesday afternoon, over 330 flights were delayed at the Boston Logan International Airport as gusty thunderstorms moved through the city.
The storms can pack enough rainfall to lead to localized incidents of urban and small stream flooding.
As the storms approach heavily populated areas, travel disruptions will increase with the potential for some roads to be blocked by rapidly rising water.
During Wednesday afternoon, rain fell at the rate of 2 inches per hour in the swath from Philadelphia to Trenton, New Jersey.
Airline delays are likely as the storms approach and pass over airports.
A small number of the storms can be robust enough to bring strong wind gusts which can break tree limbs and cause sporadic power outages. A few incidents of small hail can occur as well.
Even though most of the gusty storms will occur between 3 and 9 p.m. local time, there can be some exceptions. In this pattern, downpours can occur anytime during the day and night as the core of the moisture approaches.
A cool front associated with the storms will make more forward progress across the northern tier as opposed to the Deep South.
In addition to the ongoing threat for flash and urban flooding, storms over the heavily-populated mid-Atlantic, Interstate-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston will be at risk for severe weather into Wednesday evening.
Residents from central and eastern Maryland and Delaware to eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, southeastern New York and southern Connecticut could face more widespread incidents of strong wind gusts that can knock down trees, trigger power outages and cause minor property damage.
"The Wednesday evening commute could prove to be difficult and slow in the major cities, so motorists should be prepared for delays and reduce speeds in heavy downpours to lessen the risk for hydroplaning," AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott said.
The storms will break the heat as they advance. However, high humidity may linger in the Deep South and near the Atlantic coast.
Toward the end of the week, the forward speed of the front will grind to a halt in the Southeast and is expected to greatly slow down in the coastal areas.
Showers and thunderstorms will continue to erupt along this frontal zone, especially in the humid air.
Tropical moisture that includes an area of disturbed weather may also come into play. That disturbance is forecast to approach the Florida Peninsula late in the week.
The risk of localized flash flooding may linger for several days in the Southeast and at least into Friday in coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic.
For those heading to or already at the beach this week, the best bet for staying free of rain will hold into Wednesday in the southern mid-Atlantic and Thursday along the southern Atlantic coast.
While the Southeast and the immediate coastal areas of the Northeast are likely to remain unsettled and muggy at the end of the week, less humid air that will continue to filter into the Midwest through Wednesday will reach the central Appalachians and northern New England by Thursday.
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