Inches of rain to douse eastern US this week

By Alex Sosnowski , AccuWeather senior meteorologist

November 29,2016, 4:03:16PM,EST

 

 Much of the eastern third of the nation will be drenched by rounds of rain and thunderstorms through the middle of the week.

A storm anchored over the Upper Midwest will pump warm air and moisture northward from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
"The rounds of rain will be significant and result in a thorough soaking from much of the Appalachians to part of the Atlantic coast," according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

"The rain will bring benefits to drought-stricken areas in the South and the Northeast," Pastelok said.
Downpours will also lead to travel hazards.
The first batch of rain delivered a general 0.50 to 2 inches of rain from the lower Mississippi Valley to the southern and central Appalachians from Monday to Tuesday afternoon. Locally higher amounts to 3 inches occurred. Rain will continue into Tuesday night in parts of the Northeast.
The rainfall deficit for the year was 12-24 inches in the southern part of this swath, prior to the rainstorm.
A second batch of rain with severe thunderstorms will spring up around the Gulf Coast during Tuesday night.
This new batch will spread rapidly northeastward across the interior South and eastern parts of the Ohio Valley and the Appalachians during late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and then to the coastal Northeast during Wednesday afternoon and evening.
A general 1-2 inches of rain is likely from the central Gulf Coast to southern New England on top of what fell from the first batch of rain.

While much more rain will be needed to have major impact on the southern drought, the wet conditions will saturate the dry brush, which will make it harder for new fires to start. Enough rain may fall to help extinguish the fires.
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Rainfall of 0.50 to 1 inch is likely in most places with local amounts to 2 inches in the Northeast.
Motorists should be on the lookout for poor drainage flooding. Airline delays are possible due to a low cloud ceiling and gusty winds for a time from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.

Rainfall that is more spotty in nature will reach the southern Atlantic coast.
The second batch of rain could also lead to another round of travel delays along the Interstate 81, I-85, I-77 and I-95 corridors. Thunder and lightning can accompany the downpours.
The second batch of rain will end quickly along most of the Atlantic coast by late Wednesday night. Rain may linger into Thursday midday over eastern New England. Showers and thunderstorms may linger over parts of Florida into Thursday afternoon.
While warmth surges across much of the eastern third of the nation with rain this week, areas from central and northern Maine to northern New Hampshire and Vermont will be cold enough for snow and/or a wintry mix.
In parts of northern Maine, more than a foot of new snow may be on the ground by Thursday midday.

Looking ahead, there is the chance that another major storm may affect the eastern part of the nation with rain, thunderstorms and northern tier snow this weekend into early next week.
"The track and strength of the storm between Dec. 4 and Dec. 6 is uncertain this far out," Pastelok said.
Even if the storm fails to evolve this weekend, the overall weather pattern will remain favorable for significant storms to swing across a large part of the nation through much of December, according to Pastelok.