Coastal Storm Targeting Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday

It has been an unusually dry stretch of days for metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. But that is all about to change with a coastal storm gearing up to push into the region. Read on for all of the details of this soggy forecast in the Northeast.

Storm Building Off Northeastern Shoreline

A new weather maker is coming together off of the coastline of southern New England and the mid-Atlantic, expected to usher in heavy rain for a portion of the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday. Not only will this system spell significant moisture for the region but it also usher in onshore winds capable of triggering beach erosion.

While the coastal portions of the region will see meaningful impacts from this building offshore storm, areas farther inland are likely to extend the streak of dry days through at least the end of the week. The budding storm will bring up some of the moisture that was created by the tropical weather maker that roared onshore in North Carolina to start the week.

By the middle of the week, the northern edge of this storm will push into the central Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic prior to taking a turn toward the coastline. This moisture will merge with rain associated with the new coastal storm to amplify the precipitation totals along the coast of the Northeast.

Rainfall amounts could be severe enough to create the threat of urban and flash flooding. The most likely places to see this flooding will be in southern New England, Long Island, New York, and into the coastal portions of Delaware and New Jersey.

For instance, places such as Newport, Rhode Island will see the rain pick up late Wednesday and continue for the next few days. The extensive cloud cover will keep high temperatures in the upper 60s, a noticeable change from the warm weather as of late.

Forecasters are uncertain about how far to the west the moisture with the coastal storm will reach. However, the latest models indicate that the rain could creep as far west as eastern Pennsylvania, the southeastern corner of New York, and up into central New England. The presence of persistent low clouds will also bring down the temperatures through the weekend for much of the region.

A large area of dry air has been anchored over the Northeast over the last week. This wedge of air is likely to stand its ground over the eastern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and across to the central and northern Appalachians. As a result, this region is unlikely to pick up any meaningful moisture out of the coastal storm.

The emergence of the latest coastal storm during the middle of the week will clash with the high pressure zone in the Northeast to boost wind speeds in the area from New England and down into the southern Atlantic coast. The high winds will pair with the full moon to send tides above normal. You can also expect some degree of erosive waves on beaches as well as powerful rip currents in the water.

Taking a Look at the Dry September

While it was an exceptionally wet spring and early summer season for the Northeast, that moisture machine dried up quickly during the dog days of summer. High pressure has been the dominant weather pattern for this part of the country in recent weeks, resulting in largely dry conditions and plentiful sunshine. The month of September is shaping up to be one of the driest Septembers in recorded history for a large part of the Midwest and the Northeast.

Regions of the Northeast that dodge the rain associated with the coastal storm will likely remain dry through much of next week as well. A storm building in the Plains this weekend is forecast to only make it as far to the east as Detroit by early next week, stopping short of reaching the Northeast.

Detroit will welcome any shot of moisture. The metro area has only recorded 0.06 of an inch of rain this month. The driest September on record for Detroit dates back to 1877 when 0.39 on an inch was recorded.

It has also been particularly dry for Chicago. The Windy City has seen 0.04 of an inch of rain this month. The driest September goes back to 1979 when the city picked up 0.01 of an inch.

The nation's capital has also been dry as of late. Reagan National Airport has picked up just 0.02 of an inch of rain through Tuesday. September 2005 is the driest on record with a total of 0.11 of an inch.

While this upcoming pattern will deliver the best shot of moisture in some time, it is not likely going to be enough to put a dent in the dry conditions in this part of the U.S.

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