Election Day Forecast: Where Voters May Need an Umbrella on Nov. 3

While early voting is in full swing across much of the U.S., millions of Americans will wait until Election Day to cast their vote in the crucial midterm elections. Here is an early look at the weather forecast for Tuesday, November 3.

Millions of Americans Will Need a Raincoat Heading Out to Vote on Tuesday

Rain and severe weather could complicate in-person voting for a large swath of the central and eastern U.S. An active Pacific storm track over the next several days will usher in a soggy pattern as Election Day approaches. The chance of rain is now in the forecast for Tuesday for portions of the Southwest, the central U.S., and up into the Northeast. Severe weather could be a major disruptor for parts of the Mississippi Valley.

The first wave of moisture that will move from west to east across the nation beginning this weekend is associated with what is left of Vance, a former hurricane that roamed the Eastern Pacific. This plume of tropical moisture will expand to the northeast from Texas beginning this weekend and lasting into Election Day.

The rain showers and thunderstorms from Vance's remnants will become less widespread as they creep to the northeast and into the Ohio Valley. However, spotty rain showers are still a possibility on Tuesday for a large swath of the coastal mid-Atlantic, the Northeast, and New England. Voters in major urban areas such as Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City may want to bring an umbrella if they have to wait outside the polls.

The soggy conditions expected for the Southeast this weekend are forecast to dissipate by Tuesday, leaving places such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, and Miami in the clear from inclement conditions.

This will not be the case across the nation's heartland. Lingering rain showers could impact voters waiting outdoors across portions of Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. The rain in the central U.S. will be hit and miss, meaning some areas will see several hours of rain while others may only be dealing with a passing shower or two. Voters in these areas will want to monitor the hourly forecast and plan accordingly.