A nor'easter moving up the East Coast could cause serious flooding and produce damaging winds at the Jersey Shore while making for a wet holiday weekend throughout the rest of the region.
Ahead of the storm, New Jersey declared a state of emergency that goes in effect 10 p.m. Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood watch starting Sunday morning and remaining in effect until Monday evening. In South Jersey, the watch covers the coastal portions of Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean counties.
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Areas along the Atlantic Ocean face the threat of major flooding of roadways and structures along with power outages and downed trees due to the high winds. Flooding is possible in communities further inland, particularly in low-lying areas and places with poor drainage. People at the shore can expect a total of about 3 inches of rain and wind gusts as strong as 50 mph, NWS meteorologist Patrick O'Hara said Friday.
"Sunday is probably the biggest day, but the storm kind of lingers around for a little bit. And it kind of extends into Monday, as well," he said. "Strong winds, tidal flooding and heavier rains may cause freshwater flooding."
Areas further away from the coast can expect 1-2 inches of "steady rain," O'Hara said, and there is the potential for minor flooding. Wind gusts will peak Saturday night into Sunday, he said, and could reach speeds of 35-40 mph.
"The biggest impacts for the Philly area is the winds and the rain with some localized flooding, perhaps, depending on how the storm moves," he said.
A storm watch with the potential for damaging winds and hazardous seas also is in effect nalong the Delaware Bay from Saturday to Monday.
For residents in the storm's path, O'Hara recommends paying attention to the latest local weather advisories. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Ready.gov website also provides preparedness tips for power outages and flooding, as well as other helpful information regarding severe weather.
Here is the NWS forecast for the weekend and into next week in Philadelphia. This information was updated Friday afternoon, and for the latest forecast, visit the NWS website.
SATURDAY: Rain likely after 5 p.m. and continuing into Saturday night. Light wind with high temperature near 69 degrees and a low around 60.
SUNDAY: Rainy and increasingly windy with gusts reaching 40 mph. More than an inch of rainfall possible. High near 64 and low around 57.
MONDAY: Rain likely to continue throughout the day. Still breezy. High temperature of 63 and low of 56.
TUESDAY: Chance of rain in the morning and then becoming partly sunny. High temperature near 67, low around 54 degrees..
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High of 68 degrees, nighttime low around 50.