East Coast Storm To Spread Heavy Rain, Wind, Coastal Flooding From Florida To New England

(​MORE: El Niño Could Rain On Florida's Dry Season)

Here's what's happening right now: This storm is now starting to get organized over the Gulf of Mexico, which will then strengthen as it tracks up the East Coast.

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Radar, Watches and Warnings

T​iming The Storm

• S​aturday-Saturday night: The storm will approach then spread across Florida with soaking rain, strong winds, coastal flooding and possible tornadoes. Rain will also spread from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Carolinas by evening.
• Sunday-Sunday night: Heavy rain, gusty winds and some coastal flooding will spread from the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic and rest of the Northeast by night.
• Monday: Much of the Northeast will see rain and strong winds. Rain could change to snow over the interior Northeast, Great Lakes and Appalachians.

Saturday's Forecast

(The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow. Areas in pink are expected to see sleet or freezing rain (ice).)

Sunday's Forecast

(The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow. Areas in pink are expected to see sleet or freezing rain (ice).)

Monday's Forecast

(The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow. Areas in pink are expected to see sleet or freezing rain (ice).)

Forecast Impacts

Coastal flooding, high surf and beach erosion: Storm surge is a term typically used for hurricanes, but this storm will also pack that threat along the western coast of Florida overnight Saturday night into early Sunday, especially during that high tide. This inundation is likely to be the worst in the coastal Big Bend south to Tampa Bay where the strongest winds overlay with an onshore component. For some areas in and north of Tampa Bay, 2 to 4 feet of water is likely to pile up along the coast. This will likely put some of the more notorious communities and barrier islands under at least some water.

W​inds blowing onshore will also continue to produce high surf, coastal flooding and beach erosion along Florida's Atlantic beaches Saturday.

The potential for high surf, beach erosion and coastal flooding will spread up the Southeast and Northeast coasts this weekend into Monday. Along parts of the coast from South Carolina into southern North Carolina, Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay, at least moderate coastal flooding is possible at high tide. That includes downtown Charleston, South Carolina, during late Sunday morning's high tide.

Coastal Flood Alerts

(Issued by the National Weather Service.)

W​ind Forecast: Gusty winds ahead of this storm system could cause some scattered power outages from Florida up the immediate East Coast this weekend into Monday. Some gusts in these areas could reach 30 to 60 mph.

S​ome high wind watches and warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service in the southern Appalachians and near the Northeast Seaboard, including Long Island and southeast New England.

The peak wind threat in Long Island and southeast New England will be from late Sunday night into Monday.

Severe threat:

S​aturday Night

The Florida Peninsula could see a few severe thunderstorms late Saturday night into early Sunday. Those storms might spawn a few tornadoes or damaging winds.

Severe Thunderstorm Forecast

(Shaded on the map above is the likelihood of severe thunderstorms, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. Note that not all categories apply for the severe weather risk on a particular day.)

Sunday

A few strong to locally severe thunderstorms may linger Sunday morning in parts of Florida before that threat ends.

Otherwise, a line of s​cattered severe thunderstorms is possible along the coastal plain of the Carolinas, with strong wind gusts and perhaps a few tornadoes.

Severe Thunderstorm Forecast

(Shaded on the map above is the likelihood of severe thunderstorms, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. Note that not all categories apply for the severe weather risk on a particular day.)

Rain forecast: R​ain could be heavy from Florida to New England, especially near the coast. Many of these areas will see 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, but some areas could see as much as 6 inches.

The heavy rain will contribute to a threat of flooding as it spreads northward up the coast.

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Rain and Snow Forecast

(This should be interpreted as a broad outlook of where the heaviest rain may fall. Higher amounts may occur where bands or clusters of thunderstorms stall for over a period of a few hours.)

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