East Coast slammed by powerful storm

East Coast slammed by powerful storm
High winds, heavy rain, snow, tornadoes all part of system

The powerful storm that has been the culprit behind severe weather and a snowstorm the past couple of days will strengthen into a major nor'easter today. While the Northeast is just beginning to feel the storm's fury which will persist into Monday, gusty winds will follow this morning's severe thunderstorms over much of the Southeast.

Our Severe Weather Center's page displays all the watches and warnings related to the potent storm that will batter the East Coast the next couple of days as it strengthens into a powerful and slow-moving nor'easter.

As it begins to transition into the major nor'easter, the storm will continue to be responsible for triggering damaging thunderstorms and a couple of destructive tornadoes across the Southeast today. Our Severe Weather Center states that the severe weather will be limited to the morning hours across the Southeast coastline, and bear similar characteristics to what the News Summaries page reports ignited Saturday. The severe weather threat will only persist into the afternoon hours over the Outer Banks of North Carolina and South Florida, including Miami.

North of the severe weather, the East Regional News story details that the band of soaking rain, shown on the Northeast Regional Radar, will continue to spread from north to south over the Interstate 95 corridor from Richmond, Va., to Bangor, Maine, through tonight. Since rain gauges will fill up to the three-inch mark, with locally higher amounts, flooding problems are likely, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

Flooding in not only a concern along the immediate coastline due to the drenching rain, but also because the storm's strong winds will pile water up against the shore. In addition, the winds, gusting past 50 mph, will rough up the ocean and cause potentially beach-altering erosion.

With a plethora of moisture wrapping around the storm's center and meeting up with colder air, snow will make a late-season appearance across the interior. According to our Winter Weather Center, up to a foot of snow will blanket the majority of New York to far western Maine through Monday. The higher terrain will top the snowfall totals list with one to two feet.

Not only will the snow make travel extremely difficult, but its weight could down tree limbs and power lines, leading to power outages, and cause roofs to fail. With temperatures staying close to the freezing mark, the snow will be a heavy, packing snow, not light and fluffy. As the storm departs and temperatures begin to moderate, the melting of this snow will bring a threat of flooding during the middle of the workweek.

The threat for downed trees and power lines, and other minor structural damage, will also exist over the rest of the Northeast, as well as the Southeast, as strong winds howl around the storm through Monday. Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be advised that the winds could easily overturn or steer these vehicles off roadways.

The intense weather all across the East this weekend could impact other travelers. Air travelers should check the FAA's Flight Delay map and their specific airline before heading to airports. On the ground, motorists heading where the storm's heavy rain and severe thunderstorms will occur should be prepared for slow travel. The heavy, wet and wind-swept snow across the interior Northeast will make for even worse driving conditions.