The FOX Forecast Center is tracking the start of a wet weekend along the East Coast as the jet stream and plenty of available moisture allow for an inch or two of rainfall to fall along the I-95 corridor.
The bulk of the energy will come out of the South, where snow fell over the Texas Panhandle fires on Thursday, and thunderstorms were expected to ignite over the Gulf Coast on Friday.
The shield of moisture was expected to reach the East Coast by Friday, making for a wet evening for cities such as Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Norfolk, Virginia; and Baltimore.
As a weak low develops along the coastline, precipitation will expand to involve most of the East Coast.
“We’re not tracking any severe weather with this; it is just going to be that nuisance rain. You don’t want to have rain impeding any of your outdoor plans. But unfortunately, if you do have plans outside on Saturday, you probably want to have at least an umbrella handy,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Haley Meier.
The widest expanse of rain is expected to be present on Saturday when everyone from Boston to New York and into the Southeast will see precipitation.
Any thunderstorms that develop are expected to remain below severe criteria but will be capable of producing lightning and gusty winds.
Forecast models show the coastal Carolinas could pick up as much as 3″ while communities of New York City will max out at less than an inch.
The FOX Forecast Center says due to the elongated time period that the rain could fall over, flooding is not anticipated to be a threat.
The chance of widespread rainfall will likely be welcome news across the South as it will provide temporary relief from high pollen levels and help abate growing drought conditions.
POLLEN SEASON MARCHES TOWARD PEAK ACTIVITY ACROSS SOUTHERN US
A warm winter has caused trees and other vegetation to start the leaf out process early, which has led to medium and high levels of pollen across a vast stretch of the region.
While the rainfall will not halt the pollen season, it will help reduce levels through at least the weekend.
“The good news to this is by Sunday, a lot of that rain has dissipated and already pushed off of the East coast. So, the weekend is not a total loss,” said Meier.
The storm system and associated frontal boundary will not help to usher in a cold air mass, as temperatures, after the rain and clouds depart, will be well above normal.
Forecast models show another storm system will push into the East Coast during the mid-workweek time period, but the exact timing and expanse of rain will likely need to be fine-tuned before a definitive forecast is released.