East Coast under flood alerts and pre-holiday storm

Saturday, December 16, 2023

There are flood alerts along parts of the East Coast as a forecast center tracks a powerful pre-holiday storm.

It will impact millions in at least 20 states as it slams the region with heavy rain and strong wind through early next week.

More than 115 million Americans is likely to travel 50 miles or more this holiday season.

Timing is everything, a meteorologist said. The impacts from the storm will vary as it slides up along the Interstate 95 corridor.

East Coast storm setup

The storm system responsible for bringing snow to the Rockies and rain to Texas will continue to sweep across the Plains and Midwest Friday.

As it does so, it may eventually spawn a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday. It will bring heavy rain, flash flooding, coastal flooding and strong winds to Florida and parts of the Southeast.

That low pressure system will then move across Florida and then track right along the coast as it slides north and northeast through the mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast into early next week.

Strong wind gusts to add to storm’s impact in the East

The primary threats not only include heavy rain and flooding, but impactful winds akin to tropical storm strength near the storm center.

While it appears the strongest winds will remain offshore, sustained winds will blow to 20-40 mph with gusts along the coastlines even reaching 50 mph or higher.

The placement of the low will dramatically change who sees the strongest wind gusts from this storm and where the strongest winds will set up.

With winds pushing water onshore along the Eastern Seaboard, coastal flooding becomes a concern for multiple states in the storm’s path.

Big waves, perhaps as large as 15 feet, battering beaches up and down the coastline will also lead to beach erosion through early next week.

There’s also the possibility that cold air could get wrapped up on the back side of the system as it pushes farther north, producing snow in parts of the Northeast and northern New England.

At the region’s busy airports, rain and low clouds will slow down arrivals and departures.

The wind will also create issues for planes. It will be attempting to take off or land on some runways depending on their direction.

How much rain will the Southeast get?

The highest rainfall totals will likely be found in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic as the coastal storm advances northward.

However, parts of the Carolinas, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle could pick up between 3-5 inches by the time the storm moves out of the region on Monday.

A flash flood risk on Sunday into Monday includes southern Virginia, most of North Carolina and South Carolina and areas of northeastern Georgia.

How much rain will the Northeast get?

The Northeast and New England won’t be immune to the stormy action, as major cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston could see 2-3 inches of rain.

In addition, if cold air does get wrapped around the back end of the storm, snow could fall in the higher terrain of the interior Northeast, the Appalachians and northern New England.

The forecast center warns that this storm could create major travel disruptions on the roads in the eastern U.S., starting as early as Saturday.

Flood alerts issued

Both the rain and the strong on-shore winds associated with this storm will lead to flooding inland and on the coast.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon for all of Delaware, most of New Jersey, and parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Forecasters said upwards of 3 inches of rain is possible in the region. That could result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.

A Coastal Flood Watch has been issued from southern Virginia to northern South Carolina.

Forecasters said 2-3 feet of inundation is possible in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways.

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