Repeated Storms Translate to More Flooding Concerns

There is no rest for much of the U.S. with more flash flooding threats looming in the near future. The chance of heavy rain will continue the trend of the last few weeks, a time period that has been marked by deadly flash flooding events. Here is a closer look at what parts of the U.S. should prepare for the chance of flooding as the week progresses.

Heavy Rain Targets Waterlogged Communities

The potential for more flash flooding events is growing across many areas of the U.S. as high humidity levels work with the natural heating of the day and the arrival of a series of storms. These threats will be in place through much of the East Coast, the Plains, the Gulf Coast, and the Desert Southwest.

A perfect storm of atmospheric conditions will support the development of drenching thunderstorms capable of producing flash flooding concerns. The threat of flooding will set up in some of the same areas that have already experienced similar incidents in recent days.

Although it may seem as if the month has been an anomaly, it is important to remember that the U.S. is heading into peak flooding season. The heart of the summer naturally brings about slow-moving thunderstorms that are able to produce the torrential rain needed for a flooding event to ignite.

The silver lining of the upcoming weather pattern is that central Texas is forecast to be spared the heavy rain. The dry, but hot, forecast for this part of the Lone Star State will hopefully give crews a stretch of days to locate the remaining missing victims of the deadly flooding event that unfolded on the Fourth of July.

However, not all of the country will be as lucky.

Southeastern U.S. Under the Gun for Tropical Moisture

The first area of concern for flooding this week will be across the southeastern U.S. A tropical rainstorm that formed early in the week has made its way across the Florida peninsula and is now entering the Gulf. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is closely monitoring this system, warning that it could evolve into a tropical depression or a named tropical storm. Even in the absence of taking on formal tropical characteristics, the weather maker will dump heavy rain across the Gulf Coast when it moves ashore and stalls.

Meteorologists are predicting that potentially hazardous flash flooding is likely for the Gulf Coast. The primary zone of impact is expected to be across Louisiana and into western Mississippi beginning on Wednesday and persisting into the weekend.

For instance, the forecast for New Orleans is calling for scattered storms to develop late Wednesday. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are shaping up to be messy days in the Big Easy with persistent storms and the potential of heavy rainfall. Highs will bounce around in the mid to upper 80s during this time with lows bottoming out in the upper 70s each night. The breeziest conditions are expected on Friday when winds will hit speeds of 10 to 20 mph from the south-southwest.

Flash Flooding Risk Back in the Picture for the Northeast

The northeastern corner of the U.S. has seen the heaviest rain in the U.S. thus far this week. The moisture came in with a fury on Monday, training over portions of New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and New York City. Two deaths were blamed on the flooding in the community of Plainfield, New Jersey, when floodwaters overtook a vehicle.

New York City was hit particularly hard by the rainfall event. The metro area recorded over 2 inches of rain in one hour during the evening hours, making it one of the wettest one-hour periods in the history of the city. Central Park ended up with 2.64 inches of rain by the time the mass of moisture exited the area.

After a brief respite in the rain late Tuesday, the moisture machine will fire back up again on Wednesday and Thursday. The heaviest rain bands are forecast to set up over northern New York and to the south of New England. The wettest areas should expect rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches in a period of a few hours.

Once again, the major urban areas of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York City, and Philadelphia will be in the crosshairs of the heavy rain. Looking at a few specific forecasts, New York City is anticipating scattered storms on Wednesday evening and into the overnight hours. Cloudy conditions on Thursday morning will give way to sunshine in the afternoon in the Big Apple, bringing the mercury up to the 90-degree mark for a high.

The line of rain will also extend to the west, encompassing cities such as Pittsburgh. The Steel City will see the rain early in the day on Wednesday with the chance of thunderstorms hanging on through the evening and overnight hours. Highs will hover in the mid 80s despite the cloud cover.

A mass of drier air is expected to move into the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic by the end of the week. This dry air will work to turn off the moisture and mitigate the chance of flooding heading into the weekend.

Humidity levels will once again be on the uptick in the northeastern U.S. on Sunday and Monday as a new front approaches the region. A renewed threat of thunderstorms and localized flash flooding will accompany the front. The long-range forecast indicates that much of New England could be under the gun for flooding at this time.

More Soggy Weather for the North-Central U.S.

The north-central U.S. has been dealing with an unsettled weather pattern for much of July. This pattern will persist in the coming days, expanding from central Nebraska and to the east into Michigan. Cities at risk of heavy rain and severe weather include Omaha, Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Des Moines.

The rain and storms fired up along the western fringe of this impact zone late Tuesday. The rain and storms continued to roam the region on Wednesday morning. The unsettled weather will persist into the early part of Thursday before a short drying pattern settles over the region.

The break from the moisture will not last long across the north-central U.S. Another influx of precipitation will enter the region by the weekend, bringing along the threat of severe thunderstorms at times.

North American Monsoon Season in Full Swing Across the Southwest

The good news for the southern tier of the nation is that a wedge of dry air will keep central Texas rain-free through the weekend. This area of dry conditions will be sandwiched between the surge of tropical moisture along the Gulf Coast and a secondary zone of rain to the west.

The stream of moisture over the Southwest will come when a storm circulating in the jet stream inches to the north from Mexico. The end result will be rain and the threat of storms for portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. The line of rain may creep as far west as Nevada and the southeastern corner of California by next week.

The incoming rain is part of the seasonal North American season. However, the arrival of the jet stream storm will amplify the moisture associated with the typical monsoon pattern.

The change of flash flooding across the arroyos in the Southwest will also be an issue that forecasters will be monitoring next week. Recent burn scar locations will be under an increased threat of flooding. The rugged terrain that dots the landscape of much of the Southwest lends itself to a greater chance of flooding during the summer months.

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