Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, New England All in Store for a Number of Weather Hazards Into Monday

Posted: December 18, 2023 10:33 am

A monster storm system is going to impact early holiday travel heading into the week before Christmas across much of the Northeast. Flash flooding and high winds are all in the list of potential impacts in a zone stretching from the mid-Atlantic and up into New England through Monday. Here is what you need to know about this disruptive weather pattern.

Massive Weather Maker Could Evolve Into Bomb Cyclone

Forecasters are warning that conditions could deteriorate at a rapid pace starting in the southern portion of the East Coast and heading to the north. Travel by both road and air is likely to be slowed on Sunday and Monday as the storm picks up in intensity and size. Flooded roadways and flight delays and cancelations will complicate travel over the next several hours up and down the East Coast.

The weather maker originated in the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the week, picking up crucial moisture as it tracked to the north. While this is not the time of the year for tropical weather, this system will certainly feel like a tropical storm as the atmospheric pressure drops dramatically.

Meteorologists are predicting that this storm could reach the parameters of a bomb cyclone as it strengthens on Sunday. The official criteria for a bomb cyclone is defined as central barometric pressure falling 0.71 of an inch of mercury or greater in a period of less than 24 hours.

Potential Impacts of Storm

Wind gusts will hover in the range of 40 to 60 mph with some of the highest gusts hitting up to 70 mph along the coastal areas. To put that into perspective, hurricane-force winds are defined as gusts of 74 mph or greater. These winds will push water from the Atlantic Ocean toward the shores of the region, creating the chance of beach erosion.

Back bay and tidal river flooding will also be a possibility up and down the coastline. As is typical, the chance of this type of flooding will be the highest at times of high tide.

In addition, heavy rain falling at a rate of up to an inch per hour may trigger the chance of flash flooding as storm drains become overwhelmed. The forecast is calling for widespread rainfall amounts of 1 to 4 inches in an area from Maine down into North Carolina.

The greatest threat of heavy rain, flooding, and high winds will center on an area from Virginia and up into New York state beginning Sunday afternoon and lingering through the overnight hours. This risk will migrate to the north into New England late Sunday and into the middle of the day Monday.

Areas of dense fog will be an issue for the mountains and valleys of the Appalachians. Meanwhile, minor to moderate flooding will be a possible issue across small streams and secondary rivers heading up into New England.

Looking Ahead to Monday

The worst of the rain will begin to dissipate on Monday from south to north. The rain will stick around through at least the Monday morning commute in cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Winds will also shift direction on Monday, creating the chances of. more power outages. This risk will be heightened due to the overly saturated grounds at the hands of the preceding heavy rain.

A mass of cold air will follow on the backside of the storm, delivering the chance of snow squalls, flurries, and lake-effect snow in the Upper Midwest and down into the central Appalachians on Monday and Tuesday. The flakes may fly as far south as the mid-Atlantic late Monday.

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