People from North Carolina to eastern Massachusetts should be prepared for a fast-moving storm that has the potential to become a strong nor'easter with heavy rain, strong winds and pounding surf next Tuesday and Wednesday.
A storm will strengthen quickly as it travels from the northern Gulf of Mexico to near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, next week.
While there is still some uncertainty as to exactly how far west the the storm will track, AccuWeather meteorologists believe the storm will track close enough to bring adverse conditions to coastal areas.
Heavy seas continue to come ashore in Wintrhrop, Mass., Saturday, March 3, 2018, a day after a nor'easter pounded the Atlantic coast. A nor'easter may impact part of the Atlantic coast from Tuesday, April 2 to Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
"This looks like the type of storm that will keep moving but can bring coastal areas an approximate 12-hour period of heavy rain and gusty winds," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dale Mohler.
As the storm takes shape over along the upper Gulf of Mexico coast early next week, an area of drenching rain will break out and expand from the Interstate-10 corridor through the I-20 and I-85 corridors of the Southeast states.
Enough rain may fall from Monday to Tuesday to cause urban and poor drainage area flooding as well as significant rises on small streams from Louisiana to South Carolina, central and eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.
New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama; Tallahassee, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; and Wilmington, North Carolina; may be in the path of the heaviest rain from the storm in the South.
Once the storm reaches waters along the North Carolina coast on Tuesday, it is likely to strengthen significantly, cause winds to increase and raise seas and surf.
Interests along the mid-Atlantic and southeastern New England coasts can expect stormy conditions to spread northward from later Tuesday to Wednesday.
This means that areas from northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, northward to the eastern shore of Maryland, southern Delaware, New Jersey, Long Island, New York and eastern Massachusetts can expect a period of potentially damaging winds, coastal flooding, beach erosion and dangerous seas.
Winds may become strong enough along the coast to break tree limbs and cause sporadic power outages.
Communities that typically take on water during coastal storms, such as Norfolk, Virginia; Wildwood, New Jersey; and Scituate, Massachusetts; should be prepared for some flooding.
Small craft should remain in port during this time. Cruise and shipping interests may need to alter their itinerary and schedule until the storm moves away later in the week.
Tides may peak at 2-3 feet above normal, and winds are likely to gust between 40 and 60 mph. Winds are expected to transition from the northeast to the north and then the northwest as the storm moves along.
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How rough conditions become will depend on the storm track
How far inland the rain and gusty winds get in the mid-Atlantic and New England will depend on the exact track of the storm.
If the storm tracks 200 miles out to sea, then areas from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston may escape much of the wind and rain.
However, if the storm hugs the coast, then conditions may become quite stormy along this portion of I-95 and rain may extend as far west as the central and northern Appalachians.
If the storm hugs the coast, then it is conceivable that rain would extend back westward to the central and northern Appalachians, where wet snow could fall over the higher terrain.
For now, the I-95 swath in the mid-Atlantic and southern New England should expect unsettled conditions with some wind and rain from the storm that may slow travel for a time. The central Appalachians may stay dry.
However, wet snow is likely to fall on the highest elevations in western North Carolina for a time on Tuesday, regardless of the storm track from Tuesday night to Wednesday.
In the meantime, warmth will build into Saturday, followed by a period of rain and a cooldown along the coast and rain may end as wet snow along the western slopes of the Appalachians this weekend.
In the wake of the storm, seas and weather conditions are likely to improve quickly from south to north spanning Wednesday and Thursday.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see the latest forecast for your area.
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