BLOG: Flood Watch In Effect
By Justin Drabick
After some really nice weather to end the weekend, we now have to deal with more rain to start off the work week. Get your rain gear and umbrellas ready as an area of low pressure is developing over the central US and is heading northeast.
A warm front extends across the Ohio Valley and will be responsible for our first round of rain. A cold front will then cross the Delaware Valley Monday evening with the heaviest rain and even some thunderstorm potential.
A flood watch has been issued for Philadelphia and points north & west from Monday afternoon through late Monday night. 1-1.25" of rain is expected across the region through the event. Normally this is not enough to hoist a flood watch, but with all the recent snowmelt and rain, the potential exists for some flooding.
The main rivers should not flood but the smaller creeks and streams have the potential so they will be monitored. The rain will end by late evening Monday but water levels will still rise after the rain has stopped.
Some rain will begin to arrive well after midnight Monday morning as the warm front advances northward. This rain will continue at times through the morning. We may catch a break in the action late morning and early afternoon. It's even possible that some areas break out into a little sunshine.
If this happens, some spots could reach 70 degrees with the strong southerly winds pushing the mild air mass northward. The record high for Philadelphia is 68 set back in 1976. The next round of rain ahead of the cold front will arrive late afternoon through the evening.
This will be the heavier rain and it could be accompanied by a few thunderstorms, especially across southeast PA, northeastern MD, Delaware, and southern NJ. The entire area is under a slight risk for severe thunderstorms as wind damage would be the main concern. Skies will clear out late Monday night and cooler temperatures return in for Tuesday with highs in the 40s.
