Massive Rainstorm to Cause Flooding Risk, Strong Winds, Beach Erosion Along US East Coast

A rainstorm accompanied by severe weather will bring a risk of flooding, strong winds, beach erosion, and heavy snow along the East Coast of the United States later this week, according to meteorologists on Thursday, December 14. The East Coast weather will include storm hazards like floodwaters, hail, and snow from Maine to Florida.

In recent days, US meteorologists have estimated that 50 million Americans are affected by the storm hazards on the Eastern Seaboard. The looming adverse weather will occur after similar conditions have been reported in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the country earlier this week.

In addition, the National Weather Service (NWS) also issued a short-range forecast that a lake effect snow will occur over the Great Lakes region. This week's US weather forecast shows that the East Coast is already experiencing winter weather conditions, accompanied by rainy precipitation and thunderstorms.

East Coast Weather

The East Coast weather for the upcoming weekend may affect early holiday travelers as merging storm systems are expected to move in the eastern part of the US, bringing flooding rain, significant snow, and coastal flooding, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. In particular, the massive rainstorm in store for the Eastern Seaboard will occur late this weekend and until early next week.

AccuWeather forecasters that the lingering rainstorm will impact areas between Florida and Maine, bringing strong coastal winds, beach erosion, flooding risk, and brief mountain snow, which is mostly in the New England region. During said period, flooding due to heavy rain is likely in low-lying areas and especially in coastal communities.

NWS Weather Forecast

In its new forecast on Thursday, the NWS' Weather Prediction Center (WPC) the approaching rainstorm for the East Coast will be caused by an energy from a system that is bringing heavy snow across the southern Rockies and southern Plains.

The energy will then develop into a storm system in the Gulf of Mexico and move in a northward pattern along the East Coast this weekend, initially bringing concern for excessive rainfall over Florida, according to the weather service.

This wet weather system follows previous weather events recently characterized by conditions more related to winter storms, including in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast US. However, the remainder of this month is likely to see recurring winter storms, including blizzards, in different parts of the country.

Last year, some parts of New York and its surrounding areas experienced a deadly, disruptive winter storm in late December, resulting in multiple fatalities.

In October 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted the winter season between December and February will see wetter-than-average conditions for portions of the West, the southern Plains, Southeast, US Gulf Coast, lower mid-Atlantic, and northern Alaska.

Meanwhile, the NOAA expects the northern tier of the US, particularly the northern Rockies, High Plains, and areas near the Great Lakes to undergo drier-than-average conditions.