Flood Risk Continues Across Mid-Atlantic | WeatherBug
Main Menu
Responsive menu icon

Flood Risk Continues Across Mid-Atlantic

July 29, 2017
UPDATED By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Alexa Maines
The downpours have arrived across the Mid-Atlantic and they will continue into this afternoon, if not later. Flash flooding will be possible as the deluge continues.
 
Heavy rain will last through this morning as a low pressure system starts to advance northeastward toward the New Jersey and New England coastlines. A burst of thunderstorms could also develop over the central Appalachians this afternoon, adding even more rainfall to the soggy and likely saturated soil.
 
From there, the heavy rainfall will scrape Long Island, southern New England, Cape Cod and the Islands, putting a damper on summer weekend plans across the region. The storm will finally exit to the east by early Sunday.
 
Rainfall totals across the Mid-Atlantic are dependent on exactly where the storm develops. Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are likely region-wide, with a few spots, especially locations on the Delmarva Peninsula, picking up 3 to 5 inches, through late tonight.

These sorts of rainfall totals are likely to cause flash flooding, particularly in urban areas where water can’t run off as well. Flash Flood Watches stretch West Virginia into the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area and southern Pennsylvania into the Delaware Valley and the Jersey Shore. If you come across water on the road, do not attempt to cross it as it is likely deeper than it appears. Remember, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown!”

There have been impressive rainfall totals across the Mid-Atlantic since Friday morning, especially across the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Olney, Md., was drenched with 6.86 inches of rain and Alexandria, Va., saw 5.6 inches of rainfall. Baltimore and Washington, D.C., respectively saw 4.13 and 4.45 inches of rain.
 
While these epic rainfall totals will remain offshore of New England, rainfall totals could still reach 1 to 3 inches along Long Island and the Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts coasts. Rainfall will drop off inland, with a quarter to an inch of rainfall possible in Boston and Hartford, Conn.
 
Although rain was hard to come by during the spring in the Mid-Atlantic, July has sent totals heading back in the right direction. Through Wednesday, Washington, D.C., has seen more than 7 inches of rain, putting it 3 inches above average for the month.