Heat dome drives severe storms and flooding in Northeast and Great Lakes
A high-pressure heat dome over the Southeast is raising temperatures across the South and Central U.S. and is expected to trigger multiple rounds of heavy rain and flooding in the Northeast and Great Lakes later this week.
A persistent high-pressure system over the Southeast is keeping temperatures above 100°F in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana and Arkansas, with nighttime lows projected 10-20°F above normal. The same system is altering the jet stream, forcing storm systems to move around its periphery and increasing the temperature gradient with cooler air to the north and east, conditions that can intensify developing storms.
Meteorologists say the first bout of heavy rain will begin Sunday afternoon, moving eastward overnight and affecting Pennsylvania, New York State, New Jersey and New York City. Rainfall is already occurring in the Midwest, from Chicago to Detroit, and could reach New York City by late evening. Forecasts indicate a potential of two to three inches of rain along a corridor from the Great Lakes to southern New England, though the exact track remains uncertain.
Additional periods of rain and flooding are expected from Tuesday through Thursday across the Northeast, but forecasters have low confidence about the precise locations of those events.