DC, Philadelphia, NYC areas brace for potential strong winds, heavy rain

PHILADELPHIA – Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City will likely see periods of heavy rain in addition to potentially damaging wind gusts beginning Tuesday afternoon as severe storms fire up over more than 85 million people across the heavily traveled Interstate 95 corridor ahead of and during the evening commute.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, rain rates could reach up to 2 inches per hour on Tuesday, enhanced by the heavy tropical moisture left behind from the remnants of Tropical Depression Chantal.

The high humidity combined with a heat index over 90 degrees, will create muggy and oppressive conditions ahead of the storms. Heat alerts have been issued for most of the Eastern Seaboard.

The intensity of the rain has prompted Flash Flood Watches for parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic beginning Tuesday afternoon.

Storms are expected to begin mid-Tuesday afternoon ahead of a cold front that will move through the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states.

The main threats are expected to be damaging wind gusts and small hail.

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a Level 2 out 5 risk of severe thunderstorms over just south of Richmond, Virginia to just north of New York City.

Thunderstorms have the potential to cause travel delays for afternoon flights from busy East Coast airports.

Heat Advisories have been posted from the Carolinas into the Northeast, including New York City, Philadelphia and Boston, covering over 50 million people.

Heat indices and temperatures are expected to reach the 90 degree mark in some places.

Flash flood threat covers mid-Atlantic and Northeast into Wednesday morning

NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has issued a Level 2 out of 4 Flash Flood Risk covering an area from Richmond, Virginia to Boston.

The flood risk is being driven by rain rates that could reach 2 inches per hour, enhanced by the tropical moisture left behind by Tropical Depression Chantal’s remnants, which have moved off the East Coast after bringing flooding to North Carolina.

Soils are also already saturated across parts of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which received a first round of rain on Monday.

The flood threat will last through Wednesday morning.