Cool and Wet Weather Pattern Focused on the Northeast This Week

Although the forecast is looking up for the Northeast for the Memorial Day weekend, the days leading up to the holiday will be chilly and rainy. Here is a look at the unsettled forecast gripping this corner of the country.

Rainy and Chilly Weather Socking in the Northeast

A slow-moving rainstorm is going to create miserable conditions for much of the northeastern U.S. for the balance of the work week. The incoming moisture will add to the already impressive totals that the region has picked up in recent weeks. The accompanying cold temperatures will make it feel more like the beginning of spring rather than the unofficial start to the summer season is coming up this weekend.

The rainy weather pattern will continue the trend set earlier in the month. The moisture has been good news for the parts of the region that were dealing with significant drought conditions when May kicked off. Some areas have picked up over an entire month's worth of rain with nearly two weeks to go in May.

The central Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic have seen the lion's share of the rain during the first half of the month, triggering flash flooding concerns at times.

Widespread rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are in the forecast through Thursday night for western Pennsylvania, the western half of Maryland, and the northeastern corner of West Virginia. The hardest-hit areas could measure over double the historical average for rain in May by the time that this system moves offshore.

While the rain got started late Tuesday, the bulk of the moisture is expected to fall on Wednesday and Thursday. The primary impact zone of Wednesday's rain will stretch from coastal New Jersey and New York, the Delmarva Peninsula, and to the west into the eastern Great Lakes. The moisture machine is also expected to crank up farther to the south.

The chilly air coming in from the Atlantic will pair with the rain to make it feel more like late March or early April. Real feel readings will hover in the 40s and the 50s for a large swath of the region on Wednesday.