Heightened Flood Threat from Ohio to Maine as Drenching Rain Persists

By Becky Elliott, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

June 27,2015; 9:58PM,EDT

 

 

An extremely wet weekend is underway across the northeastern portion of the country. Moderate- to-heavy rainfall is likely to put a serious damper on outdoor plans through Sunday from Pittsburgh to Portland.
An area of low pressure will track slowly north and east and across New England on Sunday.
The slow-moving nature of the storm and the amount of moisture it is holding is leading to high concerns for flooding across a broad region.
Heavy rain across the Ohio Valley on Friday night led to many road closures due to flooding and even water rescues in the city of Muncie, Indiana.
Monitor the rainfall as it moves through your area through Sunday
Numerous trees are being uprooted across Pennsylvania due to saturated soil. This threat will continue across much of the region as heavy rain shows no signs of letting up.
"The area of heaviest rainfall during this event will be centered from New York, south into Pennsylvania and the Delmarva Peninsula during the day, with the heaviest transitioning into New England later Saturday night," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Andy Mussoline.
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"Travel in the region will be slow on the roadways and some road closures may occur, especially in low lying and poor drainage areas. Some streams may flood, especially by Saturday night," Mussoline added.
Some major highways where traffic is likely to be impacted by heavy rain include I-70, I-79, I-80, I-81, I-86, I-87, I-88, I-90 and I-95.

This significant rainfall event may cause some locations to set a new record for the all-time rainiest June. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has received just under 6 inches of rain so far this month. They need to exceed 10.29 inches of rain to break the previous record set in June of 1989, according to NOAA. With several inches of rain expected to fall by Sunday morning, that record is not out of reach.
Other cities around the region that have a chance to break the monthly rainfall total record or make it into the top 10 rainiest Junes are:
Cleveland, OH: Current total-6.30", record-9.77" set in 1902.
Philadelphia, PA: Current total-5.82", record-10.56" set in 2013.
Washington, D.C. (DCA): Current total-9.34", record-14.02" set in 2006.
Baltimore, MD: Current total-9.87", record-9.73" set in 1972 due to Tropical Storm Agnes.
Binghamton, NY: Current total-6.82", record-11.45" set in 2006.

In addition to the heavy rain, Severe Storms Will Sweep Across the East Saturday.
"These severe storms will threaten parts of southern Pennsylvania southward into Virginia, where the strongest thunderstorms will unleash damaging winds and even tornadoes," Mussoline elaborated.
Along with the deluge of rain, the Northeast can also expect a very chilly weekend for the last weekend in June. Temperatures will run about 10-15 degrees below normal across the region on Saturday and as much as 20 degrees below normal across northern portions of New England on Sunday.
If your weekend plans take you outdoors, be sure to wear a raincoat and boots and grab the umbrella to help you stay dry.