Late-season nor'easter to lash East Coast ahead of Memorial Day weekend with 'cold, windswept heavy rain'
A coastal low will develop into a nor'easter off the New York coast and bring widespread rain and strong winds across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, continuing through at least midday Friday. Leftover showers and gusty winds could linger across upstate New York and New England through Saturday before conditions improve by Sunday and Memorial Day.
Late-season nor'easter to lash East Coast ahead of Memorial Day weekend
A late-season nor'easter is expected to bring rounds of rain and strong winds to parts of the East Coast.
Fast Facts:
- Widespread rain totals of 1-2 inches are possible, with locally higher amounts in Pennsylvania and New York.
- Over 50 million people across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast face the risk of flash flooding, with a Level 2 out of 4 threat posted on Wednesday.
- Gusty winds between 30 and 40-plus mph are likely along the coasts of New England and Long Island.
NEW YORK – A late-season nor'easter is expected to bring rounds of rain and strong winds to parts of the East Coast. By Wednesday, more than 50 million Americans will face the risk of flash flooding ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.
As low pressure shifts into the mid-Atlantic, the FOX Forecast Center said showers and thunderstorms will spread across the region on Wednesday and Thursday. Heavy rain is possible, particularly from Virginia into parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
"We will bring in more rain, which could trigger some isolated flood concerns," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin warned. "As we go into Wednesday and Thursday, this truly turns into a wind and rain event for the Northeast."
A Level 1 out of 4 threat of flash flooding has been posted for much of the region from Wednesday into Thursday morning, with a Level 2 out of 4 threat issued for portions of southwestern Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, eastern Ohio and far western Maryland.
(FOX Weather)
Computer forecast models are in agreement that the system will be relatively fast-moving, so the rain will not persist for as long as earlier guidance suggested, the FOX Forecast Center said. However, a coastal low will develop into a nor'easter off the New York coast and bring widespread rain and strong winds across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, continuing through at least midday Friday.
Rain totals should generally remain around 1-2 inches, with locally higher amounts in the higher elevations and right along the Northeast and New England coasts, closer to the area of low pressure.
(FOX Weather)
"A late-season nor'easter likely brings cold, windswept heavy rain to the region late Wednesday into early Friday," the National Weather Service office in Boston said.
The strongest winds are expected on Long Island and near the New England coast, where the area of low pressure will develop. Wind gusts of up to 35-40 mph are possible.
Since the winds will be blowing from the northeast off the Atlantic Ocean, the area of low pressure can be considered a nor'easter.
This week's nor'easter will be relatively late in the season for one to occur. While they can develop at any time of the year, nor'easters are most common between September and April when the jet stream is stronger and more active.
(FOX Weather)
Along with the rain, temperatures will fall well below average. In New York City, for example, high temperatures will be stuck in the mid-50s on Wednesday and Thursday. This is almost 20 degrees below average for late May.
Fortunately, unlike recent weekends, most of the Northeast is expected to dry out in time for the Memorial Day weekend, with some sunshine returning to the forecast.
However, leftover showers and gusty winds could linger across upstate New York and New England through Saturday before conditions improve by Sunday and Memorial Day.