Weekend Weather Update: Heavy Rain, Strong Winds and Snow Are Expected in Eastern US

This weekend, the eastern half of the United States will experience severe storms, damaging winds, widespread rain, and even snowfall due to a developing storm system.

This occurs on Friday as a low-pressure trough exits the western United States, causing a surface low to form over the central Plains. By Saturday, the Upper Midwest will experience widespread rain and a small amount of snowfall due to this initial low.

• Heavy rains are expected to spread widely across East

Starting on Friday, a wide region of moderate to heavy rain is expected to develop that will move eastward towards the East Coast and from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes.

While the threat of flash flooding moves eastward from the Florida Panhandle up to the mid-Atlantic and much of the Northeast on Sunday, it will still be a concern along the Gulf Coast to portions of the mid-Mississippi and lower Ohio valleys on Saturday.

Rainfall totals will be reduced thanks to this system’s rapid movement. Still, there should be enough instability and substantial moisture to sustain rainfall rates high enough to raise some concerns about flooding.

• There will be powerful winds on Sunday and Monday.

On Sunday and possibly into Monday, strong winds are predicted to develop along the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts, with gusts of up to 70 mph possibly close to the coast.

Over the weekend, these wind speeds could be high enough to cause significant travel delays at major airport hubs, and power outages could occur throughout several states.

• Great Lakes and interior Northeast can experience snowfall.

On Saturday, snowfall is expected in the northwestern side of the north-central Plains and Midwest into the Great Lakes.

The gush of cold air which will blow after the storm can bring snow into the interior Northeast region.

• There’s a chance for severe weather in the South with this storm.

By Saturday, a more significant threat of severe thunderstorms could materialize due to strong wind shear, which is the change in wind direction and speed with height.

From East Texas to Louisiana, Arkansas, western Mississippi, and West Tennessee, there is a chance of tornadoes, strong winds, and large hail.

According to computer forecast models, a few strong to severe storms could potentially affect the central and eastern Carolinas and the Delmarva Peninsula.