7:00 AM | ***Major storm to pound Mid-Atlantic region with heavy rain, strong winds…gusts past 50 mph...power outages a concern***
Paul Dorian
Overview
Very strong high pressure in southeastern Canada is combining with an intensifying major storm system over the Tennessee Valley to produce a tightening pressure gradient in the Mid-Atlantic region. This will result in potentially damaging wind gusts past 65 mph along coastal sections of the Mid-Atlantic region (i.e., NJ, NY, Delaware) and up to 50 mph across inland locations. In fact, hurricane force winds are possible over the open waters just off of areas like Long Island, NY, NE NJ during the brunt of this storm later today into tonight. In addition to the powerful winds, rain will become more widespread later today and fall heavily at times into the overnight hours. There is also a decent chance that ice or snow mixes in with the rain later today or tonight across suburban location as colder air wraps into the system.
Details
A deep, slow-moving and intensifying upper-level trough is heading right to the Mid-Atlantic coastline and this has helped to spawn a powerful storm in western Tennessee with central pressure at 29.18 inches. This system will maintain that strength for the next several hours as it moves towards the Mid-Atlantic coastal waters. Winds will gust past 50+ mph at inland locations and past 65+ mph at coastal sections and hurricane force gusts are possible just offshore. Power outages are a concern as there can be some downed limbs and power lines; especially, along coastal sections. Rainfall amounts between today and later Tuesday are likely to average 1.0 to 2.0 inches in the DC, Philly, NYC corridor, but higher amounts are possible on a localized basis. Some colder air will wrap into the system later today causing a potential changeover of the rain to ice or snow across places in western MD, western VA, upstate PA and interior NW NJ. In fact, the rain can mix with ice or snow later today or tonight across the suburbs of DC as lower atmosphere temperatures drop from early day highs in the 40's. Coastal flooding is also a concern with the expected long period of onshore winds and the high tide of most concern would be the one coming this evening.
Looking ahead, the overall weather pattern changes noticeably beginning around Thursday to that of one with much more sustained cold thanks, in part, to a major stratospheric warming event that will unfold over the next week or so. This change is likely to bring about colder weather for us going well into the month of February.
Today: Stormy with wind-swept rain, heavy at times, winds gust past 50+ mph inland, past 65+ mph at coastal sections, power outages are a concern; especially, along coastal locations, ice or snow can mix in with the rain alte today across suburban locations, temperatures generally in the mid-to-upper 40’s
Tonight: Still very windy with rain, heavy at times, also a chance the rain is mixed with ice and/or snow, temperatures dropping to the upper 30’s
Tuesday: Rain still possible early in the morning, windy, cannot rule out a bit of ice and/or snow mixed in with the rain to the N and W of DC, temperatures climb back into the 40’s
Tuesday Night: Partial clearing, colder, mid 30's
Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Vencore, Inc.
vencoreweather.com