Updated May. 23, 2020 12:20 PM
The same storm system responsible for flooding rain and dam failures in Michigan focused its wrath on the southern Appalachians and Piedmont from Wednesday to Thursday, will
Some outdoor activities may need to be put off until Sunday across portions of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coasts.
Though the storm will move off of the mid-Atlantic coast through Saturday, it is forecast to weaken with less widespread heavy downpours and thunderstorms in store, compared to those that unleashed inches of rain that fell farther west and south across the higher terrain of North Carolina and southwestern Virginia.
Still, as the storm unravels, localized pockets of heavy rain and even a few rumbles of thunder will spiral across the southern half of the Northeast for a time on Saturday. This can lead to flooding of low lying and poor drainage areas in a few locales from southeastern New York into New Jersey and far eastern Pennsylvania.
During the second half of the weekend, the storm will finally move offshore, with dry air and a good deal of sunshine arriving for the mid-Atlantic.
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Much of upstate New York and northern New England will avoid the storm in its entirety through the weekend with moisture likely to pass by to the south.
Radar shows pockets of heavy rain and thunderstorms across the mid-Atlantic early Saturday morning. Rain and storms will pester the region through the day.
People in northern New England got a taste of warmth on Friday, with several locations including Manchester, New Hampshire recording a temperature more than 15 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Temperatures slid back a bit on Saturday in northern New England, but farther south, Mother Nature has her finger poised on the warmth button. Will she push it?
"There is great upward potential with temperatures over the Appalachians, northern New England and perhaps areas farther south in New England and the mid-Atlantic later this weekend to next week," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
As the storm slides offshore later Saturday and Sunday, an area of high pressure will build at most levels of the atmosphere and is forecast to be centered over the Appalachians.
Clouds and showers in the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic will be replaced with partial sunshine in many areas during Sunday and Monday. Only very spotty late-day thunderstorms are forecast over
Areas inland of the coast are likely to have the most positive temperature response with highs forecast to trend from the upper 50s and 60s to the 70s to near 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
"There is the potential for a near-heat wave to develop next week as an atmospheric roadblock sets up with the stalled storm offshore over the Atlantic," Pastelok said.
The temperature forecast along the immediate coast from Massachusetts to Virginia and North Carolina is a bit more complex.
Should the storm linger near the coast, then
People get some fresh air at Orchard Beach in the Bronx borough of New York, Sunday, May 17, 2020. Parks, boardwalks and beaches attracted some crowds last weekend, though city beaches aren't officially open and won't be for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
If the storm moves a few hundred miles out to sea, then sunshine will
In any case, people who plan on heading to the beaches can expect cold water typical of Memorial Day weekend. For example, surf temperatures at Atlantic City, New Jersey, were in the middle 50s on Thursday and are not likely to recover more than a few degrees over the weekend.
Surf temperatures range from the middle 40s along the Maine coast to the lower 60s in southeastern Virginia. At these temperatures, there is a high risk of cold water shock. And, chilly water won't be the only risk for swimmers and bathers who dare to take a plunge in the Atlantic.
"The same offshore storm is forecast to generate rough surf and seas with strong and frequent rip currents being an added danger this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger said.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will also make a visit to the beach look different for the unofficial
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The weather on Sunday and Memorial Day should provide an excellent opportunity to go fishing or for a long walk or hike while practicing social distancing.
Warmth is predicted to become more widespread over the region, including the immediate coastal areas, during the final days of May.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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