Gusty, drenching storms to disrupt Saturday activities in northeastern US

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

February 24,2017, 1:45:04PM,EST

 

 A line of strong thunderstorms will march across the northeastern United States interior on Saturday with the potential for torrential downpours and damaging wind gusts.

The storms will cut short warm weather this weekend.
Winds can be strong enough in some locations to cause minor property damage, knock down weak trees and spark sporadic power outages.
Rain can be heavy enough to quickly inundate poor-drainage areas along streets and highways.
The biggest impact from the storms will be disruptions to travel and outdoor activities. The combination of wind and torrential rain may render umbrellas ineffective.

As the storms press eastward, motorists can face sudden near-zero visibility and very slick conditions due to the combination of torrential rain and strong wind gusts.
Flight delays are likely as the storms approach and move through airport locations.
"While a thunderstorm is a rare event during February, these storms may bring a fair amount of lightning strikes, in addition to the downpours and gusty winds," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Bill Deger.
People should keep alert for rapid changing weather conditions and seek shelter indoors when thunder roars.
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The storms will march across West Virginia and western and central parts of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and upstate New York during Saturday morning and early afternoon. The greatest impact will be along the interstate 79, 81 and 99 corridors during this time.
Pittsburgh, Erie and State College, Pennsylvania, as well as Buffalo and Rochester, New York, are among the cities that will be hit during the first part of the day on Saturday.
Late in the afternoon and early evening on Saturday, the storms will impact part of the I-95 corridor from Raleigh, North Carolina; to Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Philadelphia; Newark, New Jersey; and New York City. During this time, the storms will also roll across the Catskills and the Hudson Valley.
The storms will not affect Boston until the middle of the night.
While the storms are likely to lose some intensity Saturday night, there can still be locally heavy rain and gusty winds across New England. When combined with melting snow, the rain can still lead to some incidents of flash flooding.
Much colder but more seasonable temperatures will quickly return in the wake of the storms and will erase temperatures in the 50s, 60s and 70s F.

Despite a warm, wet and stormy start to the day in Pittsburgh, temperatures are likely to be near freezing with flurries in time for the NHL Stadium Series game between the Flyers and Penguins at Heinz Field Saturday evening.