Soaking rain, howling winds to batter midwestern, northeastern US at late week

Only a few days of mild, sunny weather are in store for the Midwest and Northeast before another storm approaches later this week.

"After a brief respite to end what has been the wettest February on record in some locales in the Northeast, another storm will bring the return of wet, and for some, snowy weather to start March," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda.

This system will form over the southern U.S. during the middle of the week, "bringing more flooding and severe thunderstorms to already storm weary residents of the Mississippi Valley," Sojda warned.

The storm will then make its way into the Midwest and Northeast, gathering more strength as it slows down near the coast.

"This will bring more heavy rain and a renewed flood threat for portions of the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and New England," Sojda said.

Anyone who experienced flooding from this weekend's wet weather will have to wrap up any work by Thursday, when these next rounds of heavy rain are expected to blow into the region.

Many places that have already exceeded normal amounts of rain during February could receive an additional 1-3 inches of rain through Friday.

Calm, sunny weather during the middle of the week will be accompanied by temperatures in the 60s F as far north as Baltimore, with thermometers expected to reach into the 50s throughout the mid-Atlantic and much of New England.

However, this windy storm will also spell the return of chilly weather to the Midwest and Northeast.

As a result, "there will also be the potential for a narrow swath of strong winds and heavy snow, which could bring near-blizzard conditions through the northern Great Lakes and northern New England," Sojda said.

This potent storm will inch offshore at the end of the week, making it vital for residents along the coast from New Jersey to Maine to prepare for potentially damaging winds blowing in from the ocean, according to Sojda.

These winds could gust as high as 60-70 mph.

The storm will approximately coincide with the full moon, which is during the evening hours on March 1.

"The combination of the proximity of the full moon and strong onshore flow will lead to coastal flooding at times of high tide," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

"Areas at greatest risk for coastal inundation will extend from northern New Jersey and southeastern New York to southeastern New Hampshire during the high tide cycles from later Thursday through Friday night," Sosnowski said.

Heavy rain and above normal tides will add to the flooding risk in coastal areas.

"Depending on the track of the storm and how quickly it re-energizes along the mid-Atlantic coast, cold air may be drawn in fast enough to allow rain to end as wet snow in the Interstate-95 cities," Sosnowski said. "Heavy snow may fall on parts of the central Appalachians."

A string of dry weather is expected to kick off this weekend, lasting through early next before the next rain event approaches.

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