Rain, gusty storms to close out week from DC to NYC, Boston

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

March 31,2016; 9:46PM,EDT

 

 

Periods of rain and locally gusty thunderstorms will mark the end of a brief surge of warm air in the mid-Atlantic and New England to close out the week.
In addition to adversely affecting outdoor activities, enough rain can fall to slow travel on the major highways. A low cloud ceiling associated with the rain could lead to airline delays.
Not enough rain is likely to fall to cause significant flooding. There can be some water collecting in poor-drainage areas of city streets. The water can conceal large springtime potholes.
In addition to the rainfall, a small number of thunderstorms that develop in the coastal mid-Atlantic have the potential to become heavy and gusty from eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey to northern Virginia on Friday.

"A severe weather outbreak is unlikely," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Maggie Samuhel. "However, a few communities could be hit with a storm that brings gusts topping 50 mph and brief, blinding downpours."
Storms that erupt farther south, from southern Virginia to Florida, have the potential to be severe on a more regional basis on Friday.
A lull in the rain is likely late Friday into Friday night from Washington, D.C., to Boston and could assist with the evening commute.
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While cooler and drier air will make progress into portions of the interior Northeast, a storm moving northeastward along the front could bring another dose of rain on Saturday.
The steady rain is most likely to affect areas from eastern Virginia to southeastern New England, and includes the Interstate-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.
Spotty rain showers will change to snow showers over the central Appalachians and lower Great Lakes on Saturday, ahead of a blast of arctic air taking aim on the Great Lakes and Northeast later in the weekend.
Some snow could find its way to part of the coast by Sunday.