Sept 23, 2011 Storm Updates

Below, storm updates will be posted on the heavy rain event currently affecting the region.

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6:35 PM: Rain Starts To Intensify Again

The break in the rain earlier this afternoon is now ending as another round of rain, previously over SE Virginia, is moving into New Jersey. Even though the heavier rain is currently affecting eastern PA, the rain axis is gradually shifting to the east, and thunderstorms near the southern Delmarva Peninsula will affect Long Island this evening into the early overnight hours. Moderate to heavy rain will affect the area this evening, and is expected to end by at least 12-2 AM across the area with cloudy skies and scattered showers for the rest of the overnight hours. By the time that the storm ends, an additional 1/2 to 1 inch of rain is expected to fall across the area.



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4:10 PM: Heavy Rain Continues

Since the late morning hours, widespread moderate to heavy rain affected places from NYC and further west, while places further east such as Long Island and southern Connecticut saw light to moderate rain. The latest rain totals shown by the radar estimates show that at least 1/2 to 1 inch of rain fell from NYC and further west, with 0.1 to 1/2 inch in Long Island and southern Connecticut.

As the rain totals above and the radar image to the left suggest, the storm ended up further west than expected. With last night's update, I drew a rain map that went close to the westernmost model solutions, but the axis of heavy rain still ended up slightly further west, as Long Island and southern Connecticut saw much less rain than expected while places in central Pennsylvania and New York saw more rain than expected.

Looking at the latest radar image, the area has mostly dried up, with light rain currently affecting most of the area other than some moderate rain in parts of southern Connecticut. This break in the rain will continue through at least 6-7 PM, when another round of heavy rain will move into the area from the Delmarva Peninsula. As with this morning, the heaviest rain will stay from NYC and further west, with lighter rain amounts affecting Long Island and southern Connecticut. An additional 3/4 to 1.5 inch of rain is expected to fall from NYC and further west, with another 1/2 to 3/4 inch of rain in Long Island and southern Connecticut. Stay tuned for more storm updates throughout this afternoon and evening.