A coast-to-coast storm affects 30 states over the weekend
FOX Weather is tracking a storm plowing the West Coast right now across the country and delivering another wet weekend to the Northeast. Meteorologists Marissa Torres and Abby Acone highlight rain and snow in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains. A meteorologist points to the heavy rains and severe storms threatening the center of the country. And Torres wraps up the weekend with a storm that softens the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Atlantic states.
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a powerful storm system sweeping the US this week that will bring threats of heavy rain, mountain snow, severe weather and a northeasterly storm to millions of Americans in more than 30 states from coast to coast.
A coast-to-coast storm will bring heavy rain, snow and severe weather to millions of Americans this week. (FOX Weather)
The Northwest is first as the system sweeps in from the Pacific Ocean and brings rain, possible storms and mountain snow to the area by midweek.
The Plains and Midwest will feel the storm's effects into the middle and end of the week, with flooding rainfall and severe weather the main threats from the storm.
The Northeast and East Coast will be the last to feel the storm's wrath over the weekend, with a coastal storm developing and moving up the coast that could bring more heavy rain and gale-force winds to the region.
A storm will affect the northwest with heavy rain
The first round of much-needed rain started pushing into the northwest early Monday morning, but most of the rain will fall on Tuesday as the storm pushes up the coast.
“The weather we're going to get in the Northwest is not out of the ordinary,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin. “That's what we expect this time of year in the Northwest. A bit of a wind component and rain. It's just gross Northwest weather.”
The FOX Model FutureTrack shows a storm clearing the Pacific coast late Wednesday into Thursday. (FOX Weather)
Precipitation totals will increase with elevation as it is still too warm to support widespread snowfall in the mountains.
“This is a real Pacific front with a lot of moisture,” Merwin continued. “It's going to squeeze into the foothills of the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains, the Coast Range, so be prepared. It's going to get several inches of rain.”
There will also be some mountain snow, but it will be limited to the higher peaks of the Cascades and Rockies.
“Mind you, this is Pacific air,” Merwin said. “It's mild. We don't have too much cold air yet. So, we're talking about some snow on the higher peaks. You're not going to drive up and see it, so don't worry about it.”
However, some winter weather advisories have also been posted for several areas that are expected to see snow.
“The lowest snow levels will be over the Rockies and the Wasatch Mountains,” Merwin said. “And included in that, we have winter weather advisories out there. Winter weather advisories for Yellowstone and winter storm watches are posted for Wyoming. Those will ultimately be winter storm advisories.”
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The storm is strengthening in Pedina, mid-west
FILE – Torrential rains delayed racing at the NASCAR track in Chicago, Illinois, Sunday, July 2, 2023. (Jim Vodruska/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
The FOX Forecast Center says the main energy from the coast-to-coast storm will move into the Plains and Midwest by midweek.
This will support the development of a surface low pressure system, with widespread rain and gusty winds being the main effects of the storm. However, severe weather is also possible as the storm system moves across the region.
The severe thunderstorm, large hail and damaging wind threat on Wednesday October 11, 2023. (FOX Weather)
Severe thunderstorms are possible Wednesday in parts of southeast Nebraska, northeast Kansas, southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri.
The risk is currently at 1 out of 5 on NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) storm danger scale.
The threat of flash flooding on Wednesday 11 October 2023. (FOX Weather)
Flash flooding is also possible on Wednesday when the heaviest rainfall occurs. The risk of flooding exists across eastern Nebraska through central and southern Iowa, northern Missouri and northwestern Illinois.
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The risk of severe weather will increase on Thursday, with areas of southeast Nebraska and northeast Kansas below level 2 out of 5 on the SPC storm danger scale. Parts of southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri are also below the 2 out of 5 level.
The risk of flash flooding will be highest Thursday, with the greatest chances along the South Dakota-Nebraska border, northwestern Iowa, and extreme southwestern Minnesota.
The risk of flash flooding rises in the east through Friday, with the highest risk in southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa and around Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, northern Illinois, including Chicago and western Michigan.
When all is said and done, a widespread area from the Plains to the Midwest could see 2 to 3 inches of rain, with areas on the South Dakota-Nebraska border, eastern Minnesota and southern Wisconsin seeing 3 to 5 inches of rain.
A coastal storm could affect the Northeast this weekend
This weekend is expected to be another rainy washout for millions in the Northeast and New England.
The FOX Forecast Center says the coast-to-coast storm system will reach the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and Northeast by Saturday.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 25: People walk over the Brooklyn Bridge during heavy rain and strong winds as the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia continue to move through the area on September 25, 2023 in New York City. Much of the northeastern US saw a weekend of heavy rain and winds as the slow-moving storm lingered from the Carolinas to New York. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
There is also a chance that the storm system will transfer its energy into an offshore low, which could bring additional heavy rain and gusty winds to parts of the mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and New England.
Temperatures this time of year are generally too warm to support snow, so the FOX Forecast Center will primarily be watching for the possibility of flooding in the area.
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Several inches of rain could fall in the Northeast and New England by the time the system moves out of the region, with the highest totals of between 2 and 3 inches falling along the Interstate 95 corridor from the Philadelphia area through New York and Providence in Rhode Island and Boston. Locally higher amounts of 3 to 5 inches are also possible in some areas.
It would be the 14th weekend of rain in the Northeast since early June.
Regardless of how it plays out, the system is expected to move out of the area by Monday, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
