Gusty storms to erupt from Chicago to NYC, DC this weekend

By Brett Rathbun, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

August 19,2016; 8:16PM,EDT

 

 

A storm system will bring wet weather and locally gusty thunderstorms to the midwestern United States on Saturday and the Northeast on Sunday.
The downpours and locally gusty storms could cause travel disruptions, especially for those on the highways heading to and from weekend activities.
A vigorous cold front for the summer season will replace a warm, humid air mass with a cooler, less humid air mass more typical of early fall.
The clash of these air masses will result in the development of numerous showers and thunderstorms.

"The threat for severe weather will be lower this weekend, when compared to the storms over the Plains from Thursday and Friday, but there is the risk of sporadic flash flooding, lightning strikes and power outages from the locally heavy and gusty storms," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
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"People spending time outdoors or on the highways should keep an eye out for rapidly changing weather conditions," Sosnowski said.
Those in Chicago; Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan; Indianapolis; and Cape Girardeau, Missouri; will have to deal with rain and thunderstorms during Saturday and Saturday evening.
Outside of spotty afternoon thunderstorms, much of the mid-Atlantic coast and Northeast will remain free of rain during the first part of the weekend.

With the amount of moisture available in the atmosphere, some locations could receive an inch or two of rainfall as the storms advance eastward from the Midwest.
"Locally heavy rainfall will be the largest concern as the storm nears the East Coast, including the cities of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston later Sunday into Sunday night," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Rinde.
Even while many areas may escape with little rainfall, some locations could be hit with a torrential downpour.
Much of New England could miss out on the heaviest rainfall until Sunday evening and Sunday night.
Any non-flooding rain will be welcome for portions of the Northeast as parts of western New York and eastern Massachusetts, including Boston, are dealing with extreme drought conditions.
In the wake of this storm, much cooler and less humid air will sweep from the Midwest to the Northeast.