Rain, Gusty Winds to Soak Philadelphia, NYC, Boston Wednesday Night

By Becky Elliott, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

October 28,2015; 9:35PM,EDT

 

 

Soaking rain and gusty winds will continue to cause problems for residents and travelers across the East Coast into Wednesday night before drier air settles back in to end October.
The most significant rainfall in a few weeks is invading the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Rainfall amounts will generally average around 1-2 inches; however, some locations will receive locally more.

Turbulent Night Ahead for New England

The combination of the rain and wind will create travel slowdowns, for both motorists and airline passengers, throughout the two regions. This includes during the evening commute in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Motorists will have to contend with reduced visibility and water ponding on roadways, which heightens the risk of vehicles hydroplaning when traveling at highway speeds.

"Rainfall will combine with a plethora of fallen leaves that will become soggy and flow into storm drains. These drains can easily become clogged, which will likely lead to flooding on roads," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams said.
Motorists should take caution when traveling on side streets and parkways, as well as when exiting the highways.

"Slippery leaves can sneak up on you and cause car tires to slip on the wet roadway," Abrams said.
Despite any flooding or disruptions to travel, the midweek soaking is beneficial as rainfall has been lacking in the East most of this month.
Prior to this storm, many locations in the Midwest and East were running rainfall shortages this month.
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The United States Drought Monitor shows 46 percent of the Midwest as abnormally dry and 11 percent in a moderate drought as of last Thursday. In the Northeast, over a quarter of the region was either abnormally dry or coping with moderate drought conditions.
"In addition to the rain, wind gusts of 40-60 mph threaten to cause more sporadic tree damage and power outages around the eastern Great Lakes, northern Appalachians and the New England coast into Wednesday night," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
These winds caused a military blimp that became detached from its tethers in Baltimore to drift northward into Pennsylvania before it landed in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.

The above graphic are expected wind gusts outside any gusty showers and thunderstorms in the Northeast and Carolinas.
"Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph will then blast the northern Maine coast Thursday morning," Pydynowski continued.
Localized coastal flooding may ensue at the Atlantic beaches and the northwestern shores of the Great Lakes as the winds blow onshore.
"The stage is also set for a brief period of damaging winds that will lead to higher gusts [than what are shown on the above graphic]," stated Pydynowski.
Strong thunderstorms will produce these winds ahead of and along the system's cold front from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Baltimore Wednesday evening.

The brief period of damaging winds also threatens to accompany the cold front in the Northeast with the danger shifting from around Pittsburgh early Wednesday evening to New York City and Albany, New York, late Wednesday night to Boston early Thursday morning.
Even where no damage occurs, the winds will easily toss around trash cans and loose Halloween decorations.
As colder air meets with this midweek storm, snow is returning to the Upper Midwest. The snow will accumulate a coating to an inch or two across central Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin Wednesday night.

The soaking rain and strong winds will gradually leave Maine on Thursday, while winds continue to blow across most of the Northeast and Great Lakes. Winds can be locally damaging across the Great Lakes, especially downwind of the lakes.
A couple of showers will persist with snow showers mixing in across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
As the pocket of cold air leading to the snow showers swings eastward, there is also a concern for isolated waterspouts to develop around Lake Michigan Wednesday night and then the eastern Great Lakes on Thursday.
The weather will further improve late in the week as an area of high pressure builds overhead. Much to the delight of trick-or-treaters, the dry weather will hold along the East Coast into Saturday evening. However, showers will move back into the Great Lakes for Halloween.
Content contributed by AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.