A large, soaking rainstorm will bring a windswept deluge to portions of the eastern United States over the next few days, prompting the issuance of widespread Flood Watches. In addition to the Flood Watches that are up for all of New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, along with portions of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for much of the southern half of New Jersey and all of Delaware. Coastal Flooding could also be a problem; in addition to the freshwater flooding, the combination of heavy rain and increased tide levels during the times of high tide Thursday night through Friday morning will result in widespread moderate to locally major coastal flooding along the Atlantic, Delaware Bay, the tidal Delaware River, and the eastern shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
The different advisories up have different meanings. A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. A Wind Advisory means that very windy conditions are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. The National Weather Services encourages that people in the Wind Advisory area use extra caution and to secure outdoor objects; light-weight outdoor objects such as patio furniture and garbage cans blow about.
Winds and rain from this system can become quite severe. Late Thursday night through Friday morning, winds will become south 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. in the Wind Advisory area. At least 1.5-2.5″ of rain is likely in the Flood Watch area; some areas may see 3-4″ or more of rain, with the greatest amounts along and east of the I-95 corridor in the Mid Atlantic and Northeast.
