East Coast Low Will Add to a Miserably Wet, Gloomy Stretch This Weekend

Tom Moore
Published: May 21,2016
A wet, cool, dismal stretch of spring weather will continue in the East this weekend as a low-pressure system hugs the Eastern Seaboard, bringing more rain.
May, thus far, has featured a high number of cloudy days and frequent periods of rain for some major East Coast cities. Unfortunately, this weekend will be no exception as a storm pushes out of the Southeast Friday to the Eastern Seaboard, Saturday.
Some effects will linger into the new week ahead.

Soggy Setup Saturday

As a jet-stream disturbance reaches the East Saturday, low pressure will form just off the Mid-Atlantic coast.

Jet-stream and surface weather setup this weekend for rain along the East Coast.

As a result, rain will dampen the Ohio Valley and Deep South to Upstate New York and southern sections of New England before the day is over.
Rain may be locally heavy at times in some spots, and totals of an inch or more are possible in spots generally south of the Mason-Dixon line.
Although the heavy rain will taper off by race time, look for a wet track for the running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course near Baltimore.
As the low-pressure system winds up a bit offshore of southern New England Saturday night, rain will continue in southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, along with some gusty winds.
With all of the clouds and rain, temperatures will be quite cool for this time of year. For example, highs in Washington D.C. on Saturday may struggle to reach 60 degrees which is nearly 20 degrees below average for the date.

Wet and cool conditions for the Eastern Seaboard Saturday

Sunday-Monday Lingering Effects

By Monday the main storm system will be well out to sea and the most soaking rain will be long gone.
However, a sharpening dip in the jet stream will become a closed area of low-pressure aloft over the Northeast that will be slow to move away.
Weather patterns like this are unlikely to produce significant rainfall. However, with daytime heating and cold air aloft clouds tend to form rapidly and scattered showers can be expected.
Look for clouds and scattered showers on Sunday from New England to the Appalachians and Tidewater of Virginia.
Monday, we are expecting more clouds and scattered showers from Virginia and northern North Carolina into parts of New England. Some lingering showers and clouds are once again possible Tuesday in New England.
As a result, temperatures will likely remain below seasonal averages. It will stay quite cool along the New England Coast, through Tuesday, including Boston.
(FORECAST: Raleigh | Washington, D.C. | Philadelphia | New York | Boston)

Low pressure aloft will produce unsettled conditions around the East Coast through early next week

The Gloomy Stats

It has been a particularly frustrating period since mid-April for those who reside in the D.C. area.
Reagan National Airport has recorded measurable rain on 15 of the first 20 days in May. Cloudy skies (at least 8/10 of the sky covered in clouds) have been observed for 14 May days. Their high temperature has yet to reach 80 degrees so far this month.
(MORE: Washington D.C. Weather This Month)

Current Radar, Satellite, Conditions

Earlier, Reagan Airport smashed the previous record streak with measurable rain, chalking up 15 straight days with at least 0.01 inch of rain from April 27 through May 11.
(MORE: A Record Rain Streak in the Nation's Capital)
Amazingly, their last mostly sunny day, defined as a day with average cloud cover of 30 percent or less, was over a month ago, April 17.
Thanks to all the persistent clouds, rain, and some intrusions of cold air, the first 17 days of May were the fourth coolest such period on record in Baltimore, coolest since May 1-17, 1967.
It's also been a top 10 coolest start to May (through the first 17 days) in Newark, New Jersey, the coolest since 1978, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center.
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