Locally heavy storms to rattle northeastern US into Saturday evening

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

August 12,2017, 11:18:00AM,EDT

 

 Locally heavy storms will threaten outdoor plans, slow travel and may cause damage in portions of the northeastern US into Saturday evening.

"Some of the storms will be nasty with gusty winds and heavy rain," according to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams.
People spending time outdoors or on the road will need to keep an eye out for rapidly changing weather conditions.
The downpours will occur as a storm pushes slowly eastward from the Upper Midwest.

There is the potential for some communities to pick up a quick inch or two of rain in as many hours. This sort of rainfall can lead to street and highway flooding.
A localized number of the storms can also be strong and gusty. Some tree limbs may break, which may cause sporadic power outages.
Flight delays will mount as storms approach then diminish after the storms pass and cloud ceilings rise.
Burlington, Vermont; Syracuse and Albany, New York; Harrisburg and Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., are among the cities at greatest risk for the heavy and gusty thunderstorms.
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While the strongest thunderstorms are expected to erupt west of Philadelphia and New York City, thunderstorms will still force residents and visitors to seek shelter during the evening.
"The thunderstorms threaten to disrupt the start of the MLB baseball games in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
"Barring a longer than normal game, the stormy weather should hold off until after the last out in the game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium."
Clouds and steadier rain should prevent the violent thunderstorms from rattling places from southeastern Virginia to southern New Jersey. However, the rain will still disrupt outdoor plans and may trigger isolated flash flooding.

"In the Northeast, Sunday looks like the best bet for outdoor plans," Abrams said.
Both days of the weekend will be free of rain for much of the Midwest.
Cooler-than-average weather for the middle of August will settle over much of the region into next week.