WeatherFanatics: Northeast Flood Risk, Interior Wintry Mix Continues

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Northeast Flood Risk, Interior Wintry Mix Continues

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

March 30,2014; 8:48PM,EDT

A slow-moving storm system will continue to raise concerns for flooding across the Northeast with more snow and ice across the interior to close out March.
Soaking rain -- combined with melting snow around the Appalachians -- Saturday through Saturday night led to rapid rises on some creeks and smaller rivers across parts of the Northeast.
The level on the Millstone River at Griggstown, N.J., soared from 4 feet during the mid-afternoon of Saturday to around 13 feet by Sunday morning, leading to moderate flooding.
The soaking rain from Saturday night will continue to press from eastern New England to Nova Scotia through the rest of Sunday, but dry and sunny weather is not following the rain.

Instead, the slow-moving storm will cause more rain and drizzle to crawl eastward across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Sunday night. Sunshine will finally return to the mid-Atlantic on Monday, while some rain lingers over New England.
Pockets of heavier rain could lead to flash flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas, as well as along smaller streams.
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Even where flash flooding does not ensue, the rain will cause slower travel for motorists and possible flight delays.
The concern for flooding will not end when the storm and its rain finally depart. Levels on larger rivers will continue to rise during the next few days as runoff from the weekend rain flows downstream.

"Generally the larger the river, the longer it takes for high water to cycle through," stated AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Near to minor flooding is anticipated on the Susquehanna, Hudson, Connecticut, Delaware and Merrimack rivers, according to the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.
Some snow and/or an icy mix will tend to slow the runoff across the interior from the central Appalachians to northern New England.
Wet snow earlier on Sunday whitened grassy surfaces along Virginia's I-81 corridor and even made an appearance southward to Greensboro, N.C.
The snow will accumulate a few inches (locally more than 6 inches) in the higher elevations, including in the Poconos, Catskills, Berkshires, Green and White mountains.

Snow and sleet returned to Washington, D.C., on Sunday and was falling heavy enough to cause a slushy coating on some roads across the northern and western suburbs. Such slushy spots may turn icy Sunday night as temperatures drop to or below freezing.
A bit of snow and ice will also briefly spread across Harrisburg and Scranton, Pa., Binghamton and Albany, N.Y., Burlington, Vt., Lebanon and Concord, N.H., and Bangor and Portland, Maine, through Monday morning.
There is concern for slick spots to develop across these areas Sunday night through early Monday morning not only due to the snow and ice, but also as temperatures dip below freezing and cause wet and slushy untreated surfaces to turn icy.
The snow and ice will have a difficult time accumulating on roads during the day unless it falls heavily and can overcome the effects of the stronger late-March sun.
Such heavy snow is currently underway across northern Maine.
Strong winds on the back side of the storm will also continue to howl from western North Carolina to central Pennsylvania, including in Roanoke, Va., Washington, D.C., Hagerstown, Md., and Harrisburg, Pa., through Sunday evening.
Gusts past 40 mph threaten to cause some tree damage and power outages and could overturn high-profile vehicles.
Drier weather will finally return to all of the Northeast Monday night as the storm departs and opens the door for April to start on a milder note.

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