Late-Week Rain Update

All signs are pointing to a heavy rain event for the Alleghenies, starting later Friday into Saturday.

Temperatures will be too warm for snow (at least most of the storm), and amounts will cause river and stream flooding across a large portion of the state.

Above is a map of the forecasted rainfall from Friday evening through Sunday morning, a 36 hour period. The deep purple that encompasses Johnstown, Somerset, Altoona and Bedford indicates where rainfall amounts could reach 2 inches. Combine that with the melting snow, and river flooding is almost a certainty. This is just one of the models we use, but almost all of the computer modelling is indicating a similar scenario.

Winds will also be gusty through Saturday, reaching 35 mph at times. The beaches from Ocean City, MD to Cape Cod are really going to take a pounding from this storm, with winds there gusting up to 60 mph.

Some wet snow could fall in the Laurel Highlands on Sunday, but by then most of the storm will be over. It’s the cleanup that will be kicking into high gear by then,