Check area river levels here.
Monday's afternoon update by the NWS on Tuesday's storm keeps the Easton area predominantly rainy beginning late Tuesday afternoon and lasting til Wednesday morning. As precipitation increases in intensity Tuesday evening, we may see a mix of rain and snow, and a changeover to sleet. It is possible that we see accumulations, but mainly on grassy or non-treated areas. The valley cities could see up to an inch, and areas of northern Northampton and Warren counties may see as much as 2-3 slushy inches, mainly in higher elevations. Rainfall amounts are still expected to be in the one inch range, which could cause some poor drainage flooding and rises in local creeks and streams. Rain could be heavy at times late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. The Delaware and Lehigh rivers may also rise, but should stay well below flood stage.
Check area river levels here.
0 Comments
Tuesday's storm will not be an icy one for the Easton area, but it will be a very wet one. Icing will be a concern if you live in higher elevations of extreme northern Northampton or Warren counties and into the Poconos area. Expect light rain to overspread our area late Tuesday afternoon, and becoming steadier and heavier by early evening. We may see a period of sleet at the onset of the heavier precipitation. Heavy rain will continue overnight, but lessen by the Wednesday morning commute. The NWS is expecting about an inch of rain for the Easton area. This could cause some poor drainage flooding and ponding on roadways, along with rises in local creeks and streams. If rainfall amounts exceed 1.5", "this would elevate the risk of small stream flooding", according to the NWS.
Read the Hazardous Weather Outlook from the NWS. This morning's National Weather Service (NWS) area forecast discussion (AFD) out of Mt. Holly mentions the possibility of some freezing rain Tuesday evening. Here are some interesting points from the discussion:
Click here to read the full discussion. Forecast models may be too cold at this point, but ice storm criteria could be met north of KABE (Lehigh Valley), mainly northeast PA and northwest NJ. To be clear, we will be too warm for an ice storm and this will be a predominantly rain event for us in and around the cities of Allentown, Easton, and Bethlehem. But in areas north of the valley cities, some icing may be possible, especially in the Poconos. In any event, we can expect up to an inch of rain late Tuesday and early Wednesday which may cause some poor drainage flooding. Stay tuned for further updates. Our recent freak fall snowstorm and related power outages should stand as a wake up call for us in the eastern Northampton County and western New Jersey. Damaging storms resulting in multi-day widespread power outages are fortunately not the norm for us. However, it is not out of the question for isolated areas to lose power for a few hours or up to a day or two following a spring or summer thunderstorm, or even a winter-related weather event. Our recent storm with outages was exacerbated by heavy snow falling on trees that contained the majority of their leaves, causing overweight limbs to crash onto and snap power lines. During the winter months, the leaves will have all fallen, but blizzards and ice storms can cause comparable or worse damage than what we saw on Halloween weekend. As we begin to enter into the winter months, folks need to take the lessons learned from our October storm, and prepare now for the potential of extended periods without electricity.
Prepare a home emergency kit This kit should include enough water, dried and canned food, and emergency supplies (flashlights, batteries, first-aid supplies, prescription medicines, and a digital thermometer) to last at least 3 days. Use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns, rather than candles, gas lanterns, or torches (to minimize the risk of fire). A cell phone charger that can you can plug into your car cigarette lighter can also be helpful. (source: CDC) Many people have plans to purchase a generator before winter. Make sure you read all warnings before using, as there were several reports of carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of improper ventilation. Prepare a car emergency kit While traveling during inclement winter weather is not advisable, it is sometimes unavoidable. If you must travel, keep some essential items in your car. That list should include: Flashlight with extra batteries Flares or reflective triangles Jumper cables Cell phone / with charger General First Aid kit Cash (in case you need to be towed, or spend the night at a motel) Water and food (non perishable) Blanket and extra set of clothes Winter formula window washer solvent Non-clumping kitty litter Ice-scraper, snow brush and snow shovel Tire chains (source AAA) As we enter into winter, people need to keep an eye and an ear on weather conditions. As watches and warnings are forecast, take them seriously and begin preparations. If we face another 2-5 day power outage in the dead of winter, with overnight temperatures in the teens or single digits, it could lead to serious threat to life and property. Be prepared for the worst, hope for the best, and be safe this winter! From the National Weather Service:
...SNOWIEST OCTOBER ON RECORD AT ALLENTOWN... ...FOURTH EARLIEST SNOWFALL ON RECORD AT ALLENTOWN... OCTOBER, 2011 WAS THE SNOWIEST OCTOBER ON RECORD WITH 6.8 INCHES OF SNOW. THE PREVIOUS SNOWIEST ON RECORD OCCURRED IN 1925, WHEN 2.2 INCHES OF SNOW FELL. ALSO, THE OCTOBER 29 SNOWFALL OF 6.8 INCHES WAS THE FOURTH EARLIEST ON RECORD AT ALLENTOWN. THE EARLIEST OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 10, 1979, WHEN 1.0 INCH OF SNOW FELL. SNOWFALL RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1923. THE SNOWIEST OCTOBERS AT ALLENTOWN DATING BACK TO 1923: RANK SNOWFALL YEAR (INCHES) 1 6.8 2011 2 2.2 1925 3 1.4 1972 4 1.0 1979 5 0.2 1962 NO OTHER OCTOBERS AT ALLENTOWN HAVE SEEN MEASURABLE SNOW. THE TEN EARLIEST SNOWFALLS AT ALLENTOWN DATING BACK TO 1923: RANK DATE(S) SNOWFALL AMOUNT (INCHES) 1 OCTOBER 10, 1979 1.0 2 OCTOBER 18-19, 1972 1.4 3 OCTOBER 26, 1962 0.2 4 OCTOBER 29, 2011 6.8 5 OCTOBER 31, 1925 2.2 6 NOVEMBER 6-7, 1953 6.3 7 NOVEMBER 10, 1968 0.8 7 NOVEMBER 10, 1987 3.7 9 NOVEMBER 11, 1933 0.2 9 NOVEMBER 11, 1986 0.1 The Lehigh Valley is poised to receive its first snowfall of the season. Many of us didn't think it would come before Halloween, however!
Folks in eastern Northampton County of PA and western Warren County of NJ will wake up Saturday morning to a cold rain. A changeover to snow is expected by early to mid afternoon, and a heavy, wet snow should continue through Saturday evening. A general 6" snowfall is anticipated, with more likely in higher elevation areas, and a bit less is some of the valleys. Generally, roads will turn slushy by evening, and some, especially less traveled ones, will see accumulating snow. Our biggest concern from this storm will be an accumulation of snow on tree branches. With many leaves remaining on trees, the weight of the snow will cause branches to break, leading to road closures and power outages. October snowstorms are rare, so expect some twists and turns to the forecast during Saturday and Saturday evening. By Sunday, conditions will turn more seasonable, and trick-or-treaters should have no problems Monday night! Records were set in Allentown (KABE) for the wettest September, and also for the wettest August and September. Here is the report from the National Weather Service:
SEPTEMBER, 2011 WAS THE WETTEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD WITH 12.99 INCHES OF RAIN. THE PREVIOUS WETTEST ON RECORD OCCURRED IN 1999, WHEN 11.57 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE TWO MONTH PERIOD FROM AUGUST THROUGH SEPTEMBER, 2011 WAS THE WETTEST SUCH PERIOD ON RECORD WITH 26.46 INCHES OF RAIN. THE PREVIOUS WETTEST SUCH PERIOD ON RECORD OCCURRED IN 1933, WHEN 16.94 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. In Martins Creek, Northampton County, 14.52 inches of rain fell during the month of August. In September, 12.33 inches fell, giving a two month rainfall total of 26.85 inches. We may have to deal with the effects of a tropical system again. This time it is Tropical Storm Lee who may have a say in our weather here in the Easton area. No, we won't be getting hit with another tropical storm, but the remnants of Lee may factor into our weather in the Monday through Wednesday time frame.
Currently dropping a lot of rain in Louisiana, Lee may join up in a cold front moving eastward, and become a big rainmaker in central PA. That cold front may stall, and we here in eastern PA and western NJ may have to deal with the potential for several inches of rain if the bulk of the system nudges eastward. Right now, much can change, but the potential is there for more heavy rain for our area. This situation will need to be watched, as we can ill-afford to have more heavy rain. Two inches of rain over a 24 hour period could cause more flooding of streams and creeks. Something we don't need on the heels of Hurricane Irene. The unofficial end of summer is upon us. Children are returning back to school, fall sports have begun, and the nights have cooled enough to allow us to open up the windows. Fall is right around the corner!
This holiday weekend, it will feel like summer, with warm and muggy conditions, and a couple of chances for showers or thunderstorms. Expect high temperatures in the mid to upper 80's Saturday and Sunday here in the Easton area along with an increase in humidity. There is a chance for some showers or thunderstorms later Saturday and again on Sunday afternoon or evening that may last into Labor Day Monday. Monday's high will be near 80 degrees. On Tuesday, models are hinting at a chance of rain, possibly heavy, to move into eastern PA and western NJ, thanks to Tropical Storm Lee. This will need to be monitored due to our recent deluge from Hurricane Irene, as local stream, creek, and river levels have just begun to lower. At this junction, it would not take much to raise them again. Hurricane Irene created both angst and damage in the Easton area. Many of the areas creeks, streams, and even rivers experienced some flooding, not to mention the countless number of basements that needed to pumped out. High winds also brought down trees and power lines leaving thousands without electricity for days. All of this happening days after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Virginia shook homes, businesses, and nerves throughout the Lehigh Valley and western New Jersey.
What can we expect in the days and weeks ahead? We are entering into the most active month for hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones, with the peak being the second week of September. Currently, there are two systems that forecasters have their eye on. Tropical Storm Katia located west of the Lesser Antilles, is expected to reach hurricane strength, but models are forecasting this storm to move into the northern Atlantic and not affect the United States. A tropical depression is located in the central Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to develop further, and head towards Texas. Whether or not this moves towards the southeastern states remains to be seen, as will if it will have any impacts on our weather. The tropics are becoming busy, and as we learned recently, tropical systems can affect our area with destructive results. Currently, it is not imminent that we will see another hurricane or tropical storm, but residents do need to monitor current weather forecasts for any potential systems. |
Weather
|