After a gray and damp Tuesday, we’re in for a very wet Wednesday.
Showers will blanket the tri-state all day, bringing some much-needed rainfall to the region. Scattered showers arrive late Tuesday evening, growing steadier overnight and continuing through the day Wednesday. Expect rainy roads for both the morning and evening commutes. Showers begin exiting late Wednesday evening; they’re gone by midnight.
Along with the rain, warm temperatures blanket the region. Highs will beat 60 degrees Wednesday afternoon. But as the system exits, we’ll plummet to near freezing on Thursday.
Rain will be steady most of the day Wednesday, but there will be pockets of heavy downpours, bringing rainfall rates of 1-2 inches an hour. Minor flooding is a concern, especially in low-lying and flood-prone areas. The greatest flood concern will be out in Suffolk County, where we are expecting some of the highest rain totals and rainfall rates.
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In total, we can expect 1-3 inches of rain to fall on Wednesday. We’ll see 1-2 inches area-wide, with locally higher totals in the areas where the heaviest bands of rain set up.
And this is a welcome amount a rainfall. We are still facing severe to extreme drought conditions across the tri-state. Central Park has been running a rainfall deficit since late summer, and Wednesday’s rain will go a long way in helping to make up some of the difference.
But it’s not just the rain coming along with this system, it is also the gusty winds. Winds will be gusting 20-30mph throughout the day on Wednesday. But by mid-to-late afternoon, when some of the heaviest rain is coming through, wind gusts will be peaking between 50 and 60mph.
The National Weather Service has already issued a High Wind Watch across eastern Suffolk County in anticipation of these winds. We’ll likely see these watches expand, as well as see some Wind Advisories issued across Long Island ahead of Wednesday’s rain.
As the rain exits Wednesday night, winds shift to the west, ushering much colder and drier air into the region.
Temperatures begin Wednesday morning very mild in the mid-50s, climbing up into the 60s by the afternoon. But as the showers clear out and the cold air starts rushing in, temperatures quickly crash, dropping into the 30s in Central Park by Thursday morning.
Outside of the immediate metro area, temperatures will dip below freezing. This will make for its own travel difficulties for the Thursday AM commute. While temperatures sharply drop overnight, many roads and surfaces will still be wet from the rain. These surfaces will freeze over, making for icy road conditions Thursday morning.
And these cold temperatures are coming along with blustery winds. Temperatures Thursday morning will be in the 30s and 20s, with feels-like temperatures in the 20s and 10s. You’ll want to swap Wednesday’s rain jacket for a heavy winter coat immediately.
These frigid temperatures stay with us through Friday before we see them start to moderate by the weekend. This is also in time for our next chance on Sunday.
