Northeast faces rounds of drenching storms into August

Good news for gardeners and farmers, but bad news for outdoor enthusiasts and construction workers as showers and thunderstorms will increase over the Northeast in the coming days.

After a dry weekend, surges of more humid air combined with other factors will lead to rounds of showers and thunderstorms this week in the northeastern United States, AccuWeather meteorologists say.

The downpours and storms may hamper some outdoor plans and trigger localized urban and flash flooding. The rainfall may also ease drought conditions in some areas.

Breezes from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, as well as a couple of dips in the jet stream, will bring about the wetter pattern in the Northeast into the weekend. The same jet stream setup will lead to rounds of severe weather, mainly in the Central states.

While a coastal storm brought 1-3 inches of rain to part of New England and less than 0.10 of an inch to New York City on Monday, much of the East was in a zone of building warmth and humidity at the start of the week and will continue into Tuesday.

However, showers and thunderstorms that have already ramped up in the Midwest and lingered in part of the Southeast since last week will begin to converge on the Northeast from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The downpours may be intense enough to cause flash flooding in parts of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys and the southern Appalachians into Wednesday night.

Rainfall of 1-4 inches is likely with locally higher amounts. Where 1-2 inches of rain falls in as many hours, the risk of flash flooding will be the greatest.

As the pattern evolves into midweek, parts of the central Appalachians and New England may experience similar rainfall to that of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys.

Since no major area of high pressure from Canada is moving in after midweek, the air will remain humid enough to support at least pop-up showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon on Thursday.

• Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+

At the end of the week and during the weekend, with the moist air lingering, more numerous showers and thunderstorms will occur.

It may take until Sunday before enough dry air mixes in from the Great Lakes to end or reduce the shower threat over the Ohio and Tennessee valleys and much of the Northeast.

Next week, a tropical feature currently approaching the small islands of the eastern Caribbean will have to be watched for possible strengthening and a close encounter with increasing impacts in the southeastern U.S.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.