Potential Nor’easter Could Impact Weekend Forecast In Eastern PA

PENNSYLVANIA — Another wet, windy weekend is possible for the Philadelphia region as meteorologists predict a “significant storm” with the capability to become a nor’easter will develop along the East Coast late this week and into the weekend.

Thunderstorms will likely bring a “thorough soaking” and gusty winds to much of the northeastern U.S. this weekend, said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty. There has not been widespread dry weather for the weekend in the Philadelphia area and the region since around Labor Day, forecasters added.

Thursday should see plenty of sunshine, but National Weather Service forecasters say there could be some light rain Friday – with mild temperatures, and “somewhat humid conditions by late October standards.”

Depending on the timing of the storm, Saturday “could feature steadier rain but perhaps milder temperatures, or more showery weather but highs closer to 60,” National Weather Service forecasters said.

The National Weather Service added that gusty winds could be on tap Saturday night or Sunday. Scattered showers may linger into Sunday across northeastern Pennsylvania, the NWS predicts.

AccuWeather forecasters said this stormy pattern will evolve from former Super Typhoon Bolaven, which curved east of Japan across the northern Pacific and will first bring stormy weather to western Canada and the northwestern United States. This will set up a big dip in the jet stream over eastern states late this week and into the weekend, AccuWeather long-range forecasters predicted.

Storms will take shape as a cold front advances from the Midwest into south-central states this week, and showers and thunderstorms will approach the region by Friday. As energy from the system pivots eastward and taps into Atlantic moisture, AccuWeather Chief On-Air meteorologist Bernie Rayno predicts a storm will form along the Carolina coast and begin to track northward.

“The storm will strengthen significantly as it travels northward on Saturday night and Sunday and may even curl northwestward over the interior of New England,” Rayno said. “The storm is likely to evolve into a potent nor’easter and produce a zone of heavy rain, strong winds and building seas.”

This would mark the seventh weekend in a row with rain on at least one of the weekend days in the majority of the Mid-Atlantic, AccuWeather noted. In the last 30 days, Delaware, Chester, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties have all seen slightly above-average rainfall according to NWS totals.

Here is a look at this weekend’s forecast in southeastern Pennsylvania, from the National Weather Service:

Friday: A chance of rain after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Friday Night: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Saturday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers before 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Breezy.