WeatherFanatics: Rain to Bring Flooding Concerns to East, Midwest

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Rain to Bring Flooding Concerns to East, Midwest

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

April 6,2014; 9:26PM,EDT

The first full week of April will start off on a wet note over the East and Midwest, raising flooding concerns across the regions.
A soaking rain is forecast to spread northward across the East as a low pressure system taps into moisture from the Gulf of Mexico with the heaviest rain focusing on the Southeast.
Although rainfall totals are not expected to be quite as high farther north, it can still be enough to cause flooding in streams and rivers from Illinois to Ohio following last week's heavy rain.

Rainfall totals across the I-95 corridor of the Northeast will be closer to an inch than two inches.
Despite the heaviest rain being confined to the Southeast, other factors will contribute to flooding farther north across northern New England.
"Portions of northern upstate New York and northern New England had at least 20 inches of snow on the ground at the start of the day Saturday, April 5, 2014." said AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
"The snow contained as much as 6 inches of water in some areas." Sosnowski said.
The combination of the rainfall and the above-freezing temperatures will unlock water being held in the snowpack, helping to fill rivers from upstate New York through central Maine.

Flooding will not be the only threat for folks in the Southeast as some severe thunderstorms can produce damaging winds from Louisiana to the Carolinas. Some tornadoes are also a threat along the Gulf Coast states.

Impacts from this system will not only be felt by travelers, but also those headed to sporting events being held across the East.
Both rain and gusty thunderstorms are in the forecast for the first day of the practice rounds for the Masters, being held in Augusta, Ga.
Folks headed to the ballpark should also be prepared for the rainy weather. This includes folks in Philadelphia headed to the Phillies home opener on Monday afternoon, just as the rain arrives in the mid-Atlantic.
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Current Flood Watches and Warnings
One of the benefits that this rain will bring is the water that plants use when preparation for blooming in the spring.
This includes the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.

Cooler air is forecast to move over much of the East and the Midwest for midweek, followed by a push of mild air from the Plains to close out the week.

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