Heavy Rain and a Few Thunderstorms Today in the Northeast

Heavy rains with some embedded thunderstorms occurred today across the Northeast including the NYC metropolitan area as an active cold front pushed through the region.  Severe thunderstorms were limited to parts of Virginia and the Carolinas today.  Marion, SC reported quarter-sized hail.  That was so far the only report received by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center.  In New Jersey today the area of rain was extensive with pockets of heavy rain in the afternoon.  However, the area was fast moving and it quickly tapered off to scattered showers over much of the state in the early evening.  A trough that extends from James Bay, Canada to the Gulf coast will track eastward and off the coast over the next 12 hours bring in a much drier flow from the west with plenty of sunshine across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states for Tuesday and Wednesday.  The next chance for showers will be on Friday here in New York and across the Northeast as a strong shortwave digs into the upper Midwest forming a closed low at 500 mb by Thursday.  This system will generate a surface low north of the Great Lakes that will drag a cold front through the Northeast on Friday.  The weekend looks sunny and dry for almost the entire lower 48 states except showers are likely in the Pacific Northwest.

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com.  Follow George Wright on Twitter.