By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Drenching showers and thunderstorms will gather over the southeastern corner of the nation and raise the risk of flash flooding and travel disruptions as tropical and non-tropical features converge into this weekend.
The unfolding pattern may ruin a day at the beach and create hazards for boaters in nearby coastal waters.
A cool front that has been making slow but steady progress so far this week is forecast to stall along the southern Atlantic coast by this weekend.
At the same time, a southward dip in the jet stream will hang out in the same general area.
Meanwhile, tropical moisture will flow northward, while a tropical disturbance lurks in the western Atlantic.
That disturbance still has a chance at becoming a tropical depression , despite being torn apart by the mountainous terrain of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.
Downpours will continue to drench these islands and spread across the Bahamas through Thursday with the risk of localized flooding.
On Tuesday, torrential rain associated with the disturbance triggered flooding in parts of Puerto Rico.
The non-tropical features alone will be enough to produce drenching downpours and locally gusty thunderstorms.
However, the boost in moisture from the tropics has the potential to enhance rainfall greatly in parts of the region.
The area at the most risk of downpours that can disrupt travel and outdoor plans as well as cause urban and low-lying area flooding will extend across the southeastern half of the Florida Peninsula and may brush the coasts of the Carolinas.
RELATED:
How to avoid the potentially deadly grip of a rip current
AccuWeather's 2019 Atlantic hurricane season forecast
New tropical feature of interest being monitored in far eastern Atlantic
Showers, storms to advance into I-95 corridor and threaten flooding
How to avoid the potentially deadly grip of a rip current
AccuWeather's 2019 Atlantic hurricane season forecast
New tropical feature of interest being monitored in far eastern Atlantic
Showers, storms to advance into I-95 corridor and threaten flooding
A byproduct of the pattern will also agitate surf in the region. Swimmers and rescue personnel should anticipate stronger and more frequent rip currents than average into this weekend.
Some locations in this swath may receive upwards of 4 inches of rain over a two- to three-day period. Much of that rain may fall in several hours, however.
Farther northwest, the non-tropical features will be the main influence on the downpours.
Heavy rainfall from the Florida Panhandle to Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the southern parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey this weekend will be more localized but can still lead to isolated urban flooding, travel slowdowns and disruptions to outdoor activities.
Eventually, the southward dip in the jet stream will direct the tropical disturbance progressively farther away from the United States coast later this weekend to early next week.
Despite the risk of localized flooding, some areas ranging from neighborhoods to several counties could stand a thorough soaking. Some portions of the region are experiencing moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Elsewhere in the tropical Atlantic, there is a new area of interest. A robust tropical disturbance has potential to develop prior to reaching the Leeward Islands this weekend to early next week.
Download the free AccuWeather app to keep track of the latest tropical activity. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
No comments:
Post a Comment