Not the best, but not the worst weather of the summer for northeastern US
While neither a picture-perfect weather nor a total washout is the cards for the northeastern United States into this weekend, there will likely be some showers and thunderstorm to dodge with your outdoor plans.
"Humidity levels will stay rather high over the lower part of the mid-Atlantic and will inch back up across the region into this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said.
These high humidity levels led to drenching showers and thunderstorms across portions of the mid-Atlantic at midweek.
There were numerous reports of flash flooding and water rescues in the northwestern suburbs of Philadelphia late Wednesday.
The storms turned locally damaging on Thursday, with numerous reports of wind damage from Virginia to New York state.
The stormy weather caused three of the four games scheduled to be played on the opening day of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to be moved to Friday.
A soccer match in Melbourne, Australia, had to be called off on Aug. 10, after the ground swelled up with water. The Karingal Football and Netball Club say the issue was caused by a burst pipe.
A series of weak disturbances will continue to swing through into the weekend. During this time frame, humidity levels across the region are likely to be in the moderate range across the north and rather high across the south.
Because these systems will be weak, determining the timing and location of the batches of showers and thunderstorms that develop beyond 12 hours will be a challenge.
There is the risk of random pop-up showers and thunderstorms each day through this weekend. These storms can be slow-moving and trigger flash flooding, especially in areas that have been hit with downpours recently.
It is possible that rain will fall for up to a few hours each day in the rainiest spots. However, some locations may not receive much more than a brief shower.
A weather pattern such as this does not warrant altering outdoor plans but rather be vigilant for episodes of rainfall in the short-term.
Fans heading to baseball games or picnics may have to wait out a shower or thunderstorm and should have a plastic poncho as a precaution.
Be sure to seek shelter indoors at the first rumble of thunder. If you can hear thunder, you are at risk for being struck by lightning.
Generally, it rains much less often at the beach, when compared to areas a few miles inland during the summer. This is due to the protection a sea breeze offers. As the sea breeze diminishes in the evening, showers and thunderstorms tend to wander to the coast.
Temperatures are forecast to trend upward this weekend, despite the weak storm systems drifting through the region.
"High temperatures along much of the Interstate 95 cities are likely to approach or exceed 90-degree Fahrenheit mark in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., this weekend," Dombek said.
Highs are likely to be within a few degrees of average across the region and when combined with anticipated humidity levels, it will feel like the middle of August into Saturday. However, temperatures may surge significantly above average in the mid-Atlantic region on Sunday.
Average highs will range from the upper 70s to near 80 across the northern tier to near 90 in southeastern Virginia.
Download the free AccuWeather app for the latest forecast for your outdoor plans. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
