As the city of Baltimore braces for slightly off-kilter weather this week, residents are being updated on what to expect in terms of rain, tides, and potential coastal flooding. The National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC emphasized that high pressure will linger over Quebec through Wednesday, before it traverses offshore of the New England coast later in the week. Concurrently, there's an eye on a growing low-pressure system off the southeastern U.S., which is projected to meander towards the coast eventually.
The update offers a heads-up for the immediate term, noting that light rain has spread northward into central VA early this morning due to insentropic lift as the sfc ridge has temporarily weakened. While areas north of I-66 may catch a brief drizzle, this precipitation is expected to halt after daybreak, giving way to a dense overcast that will preside throughout today and tonight, keeping any rain confined to areas south of I-64 in central VA.
Looking ahead to midweek, the forecast indicates that increased low-level moisture begins its inland advance Wednesday into Wednesday night, as the ridge starts to fade and onshore flow strengthens. Expect light rain to stay mainly across far southern zones and start making more northward progress Thursday, says the report. However, any rain may be light and spotty due to the abundance of mid-level dry air, particularly as the ridge has illustrated a tendency to suppress precipitation further south than anticipated.
The latter part of the week, from Friday to Saturday, seems set to sustain this pattern. As per the weather discussion, while drier air may enter the scene courtesy of the surface high east of New England, the consensus forecast results in somewhat lower precipitation chances during this time. Temperature-wise, Baltimore can anticipate the mercury reading to remain just below what's standard for this time of year, at least until Saturday.
Strategic in its geographic musings, the coastal forecast provided by the National Weather Service points out that onshore winds will prevail through the week, influenced by a sizable high-pressure wedge stemming from the northeast region down into the Carolinas. This effect, combined with the approaching Full Moon on Saturday, may intensify tidal anomalies, possibly ushering in minor coastal flooding to vulnerable spots such as Annapolis during the climax of the workweek and as the weekend unwinds.
