Rain, Wind, Even Wet Snow in Store for Eastern U.S. Late This Week

Jon Erdman
Published: May 3,2017

A potent storm late this week will sweep into the East with soaking rain, strong winds, and a few areas could get a little wet snow.
This storm is a different system than the one that pummeled parts of the U.S. over the weekend with flooding rain, tornadoes and heavy snow.
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This time, instead of sweeping out of the Rockies, a powerful plunge of the jet stream will carve southward from the Canadian Prairie by the middle of the week, then intensify and become a slow-moving gyre over the East late in the week. It will linger into the weekend.

Late Week Storm Setup in the East

Forecast Timing

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain impacted areas near the western Gulf Coast Wednesday.
(MORE: Severe Storms, Heavy Rain Sweep Through the South)
Some additional rain will aggravate ongoing flooding in Missouri into early Thursday, but rain amounts will pale in comparison to what happened over the weekend.
Next, the eastern storm system will begin to gain steam. Here's a day-by-day look.

Thursday

• Rain spreads from the Ohio Valley to the interior Northeast and mid-Atlantic states.
• Some severe thunderstorms and locally heavy rain are possible in the Southeast.

Friday

• Rain, possibly heavy, spreads up the Eastern Seaboard into New England, as well as into the eastern Great Lakes.
• Strong winds are also possible over much of the Northeast, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Appalachians.
• Some wet snow is possible in parts of the Appalachians, perhaps near the Great Lakes if the air is cold enough to support it, particularly Friday night.

Friday's Forecast

Weekend

• It remains breezy with showers at times, as the heaviest rain targets parts of Atlantic Canada.
• Some pockets of wet snow are still possible, particularly over the Appalachians.

(MAPS: 7-Day Rain/Snow Forecast)

Saturday's Forecast

Potential Impacts

While it is too soon to get into specifics on forecast precipitation amounts and wind speeds, here are some general potential impacts from this late-week storm.

• Heavy Rain: A widespread area from the eastern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Appalachians toward the Eastern Seaboard will see at least an inch of rain or more. This may lead to local flash flooding, particularly in flood-prone urban, low-lying areas.
• Snow: A couple inches of slushy accumulation are possible in parts of the Appalachians, and potentially in a few areas of the eastern Great Lakes Friday into Saturday. 
• Strong Winds: Some stronger wind gusts Friday into Saturday may lead to some local power outages and downed tree limbs in the Northeast, Appalachians and eastern Great Lakes. Where stronger winds combine with wet snow, the outage/tree damage potential will be higher.
• Coastal Flooding: At least a period of coastal flooding is possible along parts of the Eastern Seaboard and some lakeshore locations of the eastern Great Lakes. 

(MORE: Atmospheric Clog Will Bring Cool Temperatures to the East Through the First Half of May)
Check back with us at weather.com for future forecast updates on this storm.

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