Tropical Downpours to Target Midwest, Eastern US Next Week

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

October 23,2015; 11:38PM,EDT

 

 

Tropical moisture is set to stream across the Midwest and Eastern U.S. next week, leading to the most significant rainfall in a few weeks for many communities.
A large part of the Midwest and East has not experienced soaking rain since the start of October. That will change during the final days of October as tropical moisture enters the picture.
The exception to the lack of rain is the Carolinas where historic flooding ensued early in the month and additional rain about a week later led to more issues.

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"[The ingredients in place next week] will be an upper-level storm system that is potent, a strong cold front and a connection with tropical moisture," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said.
That moisture will be associated with the system set to form along the Texas coast late this weekend. The system developing near Texas will have to be monitored for the chance to become a tropical depression or storm prior to tracking into the central Gulf Coast early next week.
As the moisture is fed northward, the result will be rain spreading northward from the Deep South to the Midwest and East during late in the week. The rain will move in a a general southwest-to-northeast fashion Tuesday to Thursday.
Cities in line for the rain next week include St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Atlanta, Columbia, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City. Eventually, the rain will also spread to Boston and Portland, Maine.
If enough cold air can be drawn into the backside of the storm, snow may also return to the Upper Midwest and northern Appalachians.

"Regardless of timing, there is a potential for a significant rain event along the East Coast," Dombek said, "and the most significant rainfall that we've had in a while." The same can be said for the Midwest.
The upcoming soaking for the final days of October will likely cause more disruptions to outdoor and sporting events. The rain could cause slower travel than other recent rain events.
One such event will occur into this weekend as a cold front pushes a band of showers from the Midwest to the Northeast. Rainfall in most communities will generally be held to 0.50 of an inch.
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"Motorists will have to use extra caution as fallen leaves combined with wet roads will lead to slick conditions," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
While the severity of the flood threat should not equal that of what is threatening the South Central states this weekend, the potential for flash flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas to occur in the Midwest and East next week will have to be monitored.
Otherwise, the wet weather will be beneficial where rainfall shortages are mounting and conditions have been dry.

The United States Drought Monitor reported on Thursday that the percentage of the Midwest experiencing a moderate drought increased from nearly 3.5 percent to 11 percent over the past week.
Only 0.09 of an inch of rain was recorded at Indianapolis from Oct. 1 to Oct. 22.
A quarter of the Northeast (from Maine to West Virginia and Maryland) is either abnormally dry or enduring a moderate drought.
After nearly 2 inches of rain fell during the first three days, rainfall at Washington, D.C., has been limited to 0.40 of an inch so far this month.