Storms to Return Quickly to the Northeast US

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

July 5,2015; 9:29PM,EDT

 

 

Following a dry end to the holiday weekend, showers and thunderstorms will quickly return to the Northeast during the first part of the new week.
Sunday proved to be the better day for any additional holiday and outdoor festivities in the Northeast after a damp Fourth of July for many.
Another zone of showers and thunderstorms moving northward through West Virginia and Virginia is a sign that the Northeast will not remain dry for long.

Northeast Extended Regional Weather Forecast

"An upper-air area of low pressure will spin over the Ohio Valley on Monday, sparking afternoon thunderstorms across eastern Ohio through New Jersey," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Ed Vallee.
This includes Youngstown, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Trenton, New Jersey.
The afternoon thunderstorms will be preceded by a morning shower or two in this corridor as a couple of all-day showers and thunderstorms keep the southern mid-Atlantic, along with Washington, D.C., unsettled.

This zone of showers and thunderstorms will spread to New York City, Boston and Burlington, Vermont, on Tuesday, but these storms are not expected to produce damaging winds and hail along their path.
The showers and thunderstorms will instead prove to be more of a nuisance for residents. This includes farmers, construction crews and anyone looking for an extended dry spell to complete outdoor jobs.
Anyone with outdoor activities should keep the rain gear handy, prepare for potential delays and be ready to move indoors as soon as thunder is heard. The danger of being struck by lightning is then present.
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John Jensenius, Jr., Lightning Safety Specialist at NOAA, reported that there have been 16 lightning fatalities across the United States in 2015 through the end of June.
"[That number] is about a month ahead of where we were last year (17 at the end of July) and more than a month ahead of where we were in 2013 (14 at the end of July)," stated Jensenius. "July is typically the month with the most lightning fatalities with a 30-year average of 15."
Vallee is concerned for locally heavier thunderstorms to target the Northeast when the cold front threatening the Central U.S. with severe weather arrives.
This front will target the eastern Great Lakes later Tuesday with heavy and gusty thunderstorms. Buffalo, New York; Erie, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; and Toronto, Canada; are among the cities at risk for these intense thunderstorms.

Showers and thunderstorms accompanying the front will then press eastward to the Northeast's I-95 corridor through Wednesday.
"The main threats with the thunderstorms will be brief torrential rain and some gusty winds," stated Vallee.
Wednesday's storminess should clear New England later in the week but may hang on longer across the mid-Atlantic, creating more headaches for those with outdoor plans.