WEATHER BLOG: Afternoon T-Storms
The workweek is going to get off to a very soggy start for many of us today. However, the day will also bring a 'few twists', or timing-related details which we'll need to address:
- After a band of heavy rain moved to the north and east this morning (hitting cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia hardest before 7 a.m., then New York City/southern New England between 9 a.m. and noon), we anticipate that there will be a distinct "break in the action"... In fact, clouds should break for some sun today.
- With this 'lull' in the rain expected to last for several hours, including a sufficient segment of this afternoon, temperatures will be able to reach the mid and upper 70s across most of the viewing area.
- So, with some drier air 'punching into the I-95 corridor' from the south and west, and the sun breaking through clouds later today, some potent jet stream dynamics are expected to follow on the heels of this sequence of events late this afternoon and this evening.
Therefore, we'll need to be mindful that some thunderstorms which will erupt over the central and southern Appalachians this afternoon (primarily between 3 and 6 p.m.) can be rather strong as they reach the coastal plain this evening. Some hail, and strong wind gusts in excess of 40 mph are a couple of things that can occur as a 'broken line of thunderstorms' pushes through, especially in the mid-Atlantic region before midnight.
Based on the current guidance provided by the Storm Prediction Center, the greatest risk for strong or severe thunderstorms (including the possibility of a tornado or two) later today will be from east-central PA (generally south of I-80) and South Jersey on south and west, including ALL OF MARYLAND.
As all of this activity wraps up early tonight, there will much drier air sweeping in from the west, allowing for some clearing to occur late. There should be a good deal of sunshine tomorrow, and daytime temperatures will have no trouble reaching the mid and upper 60s.
But as we head into the middle part of this week, an upper-level trough axis will be digging into the Eastern Region.
Cooler air associated with it will be be spreading out across the area, and a 'somewhat cooler day' on Wednesday will be followed by temperatures essentially "bottoming out" in the upper 50s or lower 60s by the end of this week.
We do have a shower mentioned in our forecasts for later Wednesday/Wednesday night, and then changeable skies on both Thursday and Friday should be accompanied by a cool and gusty wind. While it should be dry, the cooler-than-normal pattern should persist into next weekend...
Have a good day!!
