Will Tropical Storm Karen Bring Heavy Rains Monday to Northern Virginia?

by Mary Ann Barton

Two weather systems colliding this weekend could bring some heavy rain — with some predictions saying up to 2 inches — to the region Monday into Tuesday, according to weather forecasters.

Tropical Storm Karen, chugging its way northward from the Gulf of Mexico and expected to make landfall along the Gulf coast late Saturday, could make for a soggy Monday and Tuesday in Northern Virginia, forecasters say. The storm is expected to merge with a cold system, currently heading east toward the Washington region.

The National Weather Service forecast promises a 70 percent chance of rain Monday and the possibility of some rain Tuesday, with high temperatures of just 75 degrees, a cool-down after highs in the mid to high 80s predicted for the weekend.

Jason Samenow of Capital Weather Gang gives the area a 50 percent chance of seeing "at least 1 inch" of rain Monday.

Despite the federal shutdown, the government has called in officials from the National Hurricane Center and FEMA before Tropical Storm Karen hits the U.S. coast, predicted to hit Saturday somewhere between Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. 

On Thursday afternoon, a Hurricane Watch was in effect for areas between Grand Isle, La., to west of Destin, Fla.

Some forecasters say the tropical storm could morph into a hurricane (a Category 1 hurricane packs winds of 75 MPH) before it makes landfall.

Before a temperature cooldown Monday, humidity will creep up over the weekend, with unseasonably warm weather.