Locally heavy, gusty storms associated in part with Barry at midweek will pose localized flash-flooding threats this week and then usher in the hottest weather of the summer of 2019 so far in the northeastern United States.
The combination of a slight dip in the jet stream and leftover moisture from Barry will drift across the northeastern United States from Wednesday to early Thursday.
Even days after Barry made landfall as a hurricane in Louisiana on Saturday, flash flooding from the now tropical rainstorm targeted parts of Arkansas on Tuesday. The town of Dierks, Ark., more than 300 miles inland from where Barry made landfall, had received more than 9.50 inches of rain from the tropical system by Tuesday morning.
The storms that bubble eastward from the Ohio Valley during Tuesday night are forecast to re-fire over the Appalachians and eastern Great Lakes on Wednesday.
As these storms push eastward Wednesday evening, toward the Interstate 95 corridor, they may be at their peak intensity.
The storms will bring the potential for strong wind gusts and torrential downpours at the local level. Some neighborhoods and portions of highways can be clobbered by wind gusts near 60 mph.
However, the greatest threat to lives and property will be from highly localized flash flooding.
There is the potential for a few communities to be hit with rainfall of 1-3 inches per hour for a short time, which can easily overwhelm storm drains and small streams.
Urban flooding can occur even in areas that have not had any rain in a week or more.
Still, some areas may be missed entirely by the storms as they move toward the Atlantic coast into Thursday. Some parts of the region have been missed by significant rain in recent weeks and could stand a thorough soaking.
