Heavy rain, storms and possible flooding are expected over the weekend

While they have nothing to do with Hurricane Ernesto, which is forecast to pass hundreds of kilometers off the coast and stir up the sea, episodic rains over the weekend could lead to new flash floods.

At least it seems that the region does not have to worry about drought for the time being.

The National Weather Service says that in addition to the possibility of flash flooding Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening, severe storms are possible on Sunday. The government’s Weather Prediction Center sees a 50-50 chance of “excessive” rainfall over the weekend.

The rains, which are again expected to be very unstable, are linked to an approaching cold front that will bring significant cooling over the next week, so that temperatures may not even reach 27 degrees on some days.

At Philadelphia International Airport, temperatures have not officially exceeded 90 degrees since August 6, and forecasts suggest that this mark will not rise again in the foreseeable future.

Rainfall deficits have now spread across the entire region, and in some areas rainfall surpluses are expected to already be present.

About the Rain Rally

“The increase in rainfall was entirely due to last week’s downpours that came from tropical moisture,” said Curtis Riganti of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, which produces the country’s weekly drought map.

“The rains from Debby have helped a lot with the drought in the Philadelphia area and parts of the East Coast,” he said.

Before last week’s sometimes random rains of tropical origin, every county in the region was struggling with rainfall deficits, and parts of Northeast Philly as well as Bucks and Burlington counties were in a state of “moderate drought,” according to the drought center.

But Philly’s official rainfall total this month is just over 3.5 inches, about double normal. And as of this Thursday’s update, no part of the region is in moderate drought, although parts of Philly, Bucks and Burlington are considered “abnormally dry.” Even those distinctions could disappear with next week’s update.

In addition, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction assume that there will be hardly any droughts until November.

The weekend view on the coast

On the coast, Saturday is expected to be a pleasant day with sunshine and highs of around 27 degrees, and no showers are expected before nightfall, the weather service says.

However, if you plan on taking a dip, be aware that Hurricane Ernesto is churning up the North Atlantic, causing rip currents along the entire east coast.

The weather service describes it as “life-threatening.”

In addition, some coastal flooding is possible at high tide, the agency said.

If you make it a week, the weather will be lovely from Tuesday onwards, with highs mostly around 21 degrees and nights cool enough that you might not need the air conditioning.