PA Weather: Heavy Rain On The Way, Hazardous Outlook Issued

More bad weather is expected in southeastern Pennsylvania, including thunderstorms and heavy rain that could cause flooding this weekend.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the whole greater Philadelphia area, saying several rounds of showers and storms are expected through the weekend. There is potential for heavy rainfall and flooding, especially with a system affecting the region beginning on Friday.

Thunderstorms are possible after 3 p.m. on Friday, and rain is supposed to last through Saturday and Sunday morning, when it will be heaviest.

Here are the alerted areas:

While the weekend will not be a total washout, AccuWeather says a series of storms are forecast to continue to pass through the region.

The unsettled weather this weekend will interfere with some ballgames, college graduations, backyard projects, travel and other outdoor springtime activities, accoring to AccuWeather. However, there will be a swath where rain manages to stay away for the most part.

Enough of a warmup is likely to allow drenching and perhaps locally gusty thunderstorms to erupt south of the storm track over the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic with steadier rain over the northern parts of New York state and New England, acccording to AccuWeather.

Rain and thunderstorms will spread from west to east during the day on Friday, but may not reach the Atlantic coast until the evening in some cases, according to AccuWeather.

From Saturday to Sunday, the cycle is forecast to repeat, according to AccuWeather. Soon after one storm exits the Atlantic coast, rain and thunder from the next storm will build over the Midwest and head eastward, according to AccuWeather.

Here is the forecast:

• Today: A slight chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. East wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Saturday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Saturday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, then showers after 2am. Low around 58. East wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
• Sunday: Showers. High near 66. East wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

With reporting by Patch correspondent Tom Davis