6:15 AM | **Showers today, maybe a thunderstorm...some of the rain can be heavy...Hurricane Helene headed to Florida's Gulf coast as a "major"**
Paul Dorian
6-Day forecast for the Washington, D.C. metro region
Today
Mainly cloudy, milder, muggy, occasional showers, maybe a thunderstorm, some of the ran can be heavy, highs in the upper 70’s; S-SE winds around 5-10 mph
Tonight
Mainly cloudy, mild, chance of showers, maybe a thunderstorm, lows in the upper 60’s
Friday
Mainly cloudy, mild, breezy, chance of showers, maybe a thunderstorm, mid-to-upper 70’s for afternoon highs
Friday Night
Mainly cloudy, mild, chance of showers, maybe a thunderstorm, mid-to-upper 60’s for late night lows
Saturday
Clouds and limited sun, a bit warmer, still the chance of showers, near 80 degrees
Sunday
Clouds and limited sun, cooler, maybe a few showers, low-to-mid 70’s
Monday
Mainly cloudy, cool, chance of showers, lower 70’s
Tuesday
Mainly cloudy, cool, chance of showers, lower 70’s
Discussion
All eyes today on the Gulf of Mexico where Hurricane Helene will intensify as it pushes to in a north-to-northeast direction putting it on a collision course with Florida’s Gulf coast. Hurricane Helene should make landfall early tonight in the “Big Bend” region of Florida’s Gulf coast likely as a category 3 “major” storm; however, climbing to a category 4 designation is on the table.
After landfall, Hurricane Helene will initially push in a northward direction bringing its hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall to the state of Georgia. Ultimately, the remnants of Hurricane Helene will be forced to turn north and west and towards the Middle Mississippi Valley region due to very strong “blocking” high pressure to the north over Canada. Excessive rainfall amounts can spread throughout much of the southern Appalachians as upsloping winds will enhance upward motion and likely result in some tremendous amounts of rainfall.
In the Mid-Atlantic, there is a good chance of showers today with isolated thunderstorms as a warm frontal system pushes through the region…some of the rain can come down hard at times. After that, there is a good chance that some of the tropical moisture field associated with Hurricane Helene will make it this far north for the Friday/Saturday time period. As a result, showers will be a threat as we end the work week and begin the upcoming weekend.
Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Arcfield Weather