12:50 PM | Potential for a late week heavy rain and severe weather event in the Mid-Atlantic

Discussion

It is still a few days away, but it looks like ingredients are coming together for a potential heavy rain and severe weather event in the Mid-Atlantic region later Friday into Saturday. The combination of very warm and humid air at ground level with a vigorous upper-level disturbance should be enough fuel to spark the development of widespread heavy showers and numerous strong-to-severe thunderstorms later in the day on Friday across the Mid-Atlantic. A strong upper-level jet stream will dip way down south into the Northeast US during the late week time period and this will help to cool off the higher levels of the atmosphere which, in turn, will act to destabilize the atmosphere at the same time a strong surface cool front approaches. This whole sequence of events is part of an overall pattern change in which the hottest weather is shifting westward to the interior west from the center of the country, and much cooler weather is headed for the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast US. In fact, high temperatures this weekend will likely be confined to the 60’s over parts of the Great Lakes region. We'll cool off somewhat as well on Saturday here in the Mid-Atlantic and the threat for showers and storms may continue given the slow movement of the deep upper-level trough of low pressure that will still be overhead to start the weekend. Stay tuned for updates on the late week possibilities.