Flooding Rain Returns to the Plains and Midwest, Then Heads Northeast

Persistent heavy rain will raise the risk of flash flooding across the Plains and the Midwest this week before pushing into the Northeast by the weekend. While the moisture will help areas dealing with drought conditions, the repeated nature of the rain events will put a wrench in outdoor plans and travel.

Flooding Rainfall Back in the Forecast for the Central and Eastern U.S.

It was a stormy start to the week for much of the Midwest and the central Plains. For instance, the community of Atlantic, Iowa, saw 5 inches of rain over a period of 72 hours. The Omaha metro area recorded nearly 3.5 inches of rain through midday Wednesday.

The weather maker is forecast to strengthen on Thursday, taking aim at Nebraska, South Dakota, the western flank of Iowa, and southwestern Minnesota. This system will stretch farther east late Thursday and into Friday, impacting many areas that have already been hit with heavy rain this week.

A large swath of land from central South Dakota to central Wisconsin is expecting 2 to 4 inches of rain over the next few days. Higher localized amounts of 4 to 8 inches are possible within this zone.

Motorists using portions of Interstates 35, 90, and 94 in Minnesota and Wisconsin should be prepared for travel disruptions. This impact zone includes the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.

Lastly, agricultural interests could see additional delays to the fall harvest because of the soggy fields.

Looking Ahead to the End of the Week

The line of moisture currently centered over the Plains and the Midwest will continue its journey to the east and nudge out the dry air mass that has been anchored over the Northeast. The change in the weather in the northeastern U.S. will translate to rising dew points and the development of scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in the Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic, and New England.

The northeastern quadrant of the nation will begin to dry out from north to south later Friday and into Saturday. Humidity levels will also drop heading into the weekend. Saturday's forecast is calling for locally heavy thunderstorms to roam West Virginia, Virginia, and the Carolinas before shifting to the south.

Just as the Northeast is clearing up, rain will make an encore appearance in the Upper Midwest. The new low-pressure system will arrive at the East Coast from the Midwest late Saturday, lingering through the rest of the weekend. This timing could affect several NFL games on Sunday, including Green Bay at the New York Jets and Pittsburgh at New England.

Meteorologists are warning that the start of the new week could see another flooding event for the Northeast, similar to what portions of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut experienced last weekend.

Moving farther to the south along the Atlantic Seaboard, Florida will remain under the umbrella of thunderstorms and frequent downpours. South Florida will bear the brunt of this surge of tropical moisture capable of unleashing flash flooding.

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