Meteorologists expect rainfall and coastal flooding in some parts of Maryland, though they’re hopeful it’ll combat the dryness in the region.
The Baltimore/Washington office of the National Weather Service issued coastal flood advisories for Anne Arundel, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties Tuesday, warning of high tide levels around 3 feet. Though the advisories for Calvert and St. Mary’s counties will be lifted after Tuesday night, Anne Arundel County will remain under coastal flood watch until Friday morning.
“We’re having what we call onshore flow,” said Kyle Palozzi, a meteorologist for the Baltimore/Washington office of the NWS.
East winds are trapping water in the Chesapeake Bay and preventing them from draining into the Atlantic Ocean as they should, leading to the possibility of coastal flooding, Palozzi explained. Wind coming from the south will likely worsen the possibility of coastal flooding on Wednesday, with Annapolis and southward areas bearing the brunt, Palozzi said.
Forecasters have also issued coastal flood advisories for Dorchester, Somerset and Wicomico counties Wednesday night into Thursday night.
Rain is predicted to begin after 8 p.m. Wednesday and last well into Thursday night, with thunderstorms possible. Palozzi suspects about one to two inches of rain will fall in the region between Wednesday and Thursday, welcome water for a Maryland he said has been “abnormally dry.”
The U.S. Drought Monitor marks 71.4% of Maryland as abnormally dry, meaning there has been a deficit of water in the region. The rain could help with that and, even better for spooky season lovers, it’ll be clear the entire “Halloweekend,” with a forecast free of showers until Monday.
The system looking to pour down on Maryland comes as Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, slammed Jamaica on Tuesday morning with 185 mph winds, making it the strongest to hit the island in over 170 years. The rain coming to Maryland is a different system, Palozzi said, with Hurricane Melissa not expected to impact the mainland United States.





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