Rain Will Taper Off Tonight...But Will Be Heavier This Evening

Update, 7:30 PM: Philly's picked up 0.95" of rain so far, with over an inch common for most everyone north and west of the city. Some spots in South Jersey have picked up isolated one and a half inch totals. The cold front is about to enter the Western and Northern Suburbs as Pottstown now has an east wind and will likely see the front crossing by shortly, with the slow and steady march east continuing over the next several hours. Temperatures drop 15-20 degrees once the front crosses. In the Poconos, an icy rain is currently falling as temperatures are dropping into the lower 30's.

Update, 5:30 PM: Flood Advisories out for Philly until 9:30 PM.

As of 3 PM, Philly's picked up 0.28" of rain but heavier rain lurks to our south and southwest.  Washington is in the midst of a steady shield of rain, with heavier rain and thunderstorms across Virginia near Richmond.  This is all lifting north-northeast and will become steadier after 6 PM this evening as the front begins to work in, with rain heavy for a few hours before it ends around or just after Midnight.   Rainfall over the next several hours has the potential of dropping an inch as it moves on through.

Some flood advisories have been issued for parts of the region this afternoon, specifically to our north and west (Berks, Lehigh Valley, Poconos) where around an inch to an inch and a half of rain has fallen already.

What is impressive about this system is the sharp temperature gradient with the front.   Scranton is at 35 degrees while Mount Pocono is at 50 (about 30 mile spread between the two locations plus Mount Pocono is about 1000' feet higher than Scranton).    In Lancaster, it's 57 while in Harrisburg temperatures are down to 44 as the front has just crossed through.   Expect a slow eastward slide of the front while low pressure in Virginia glides northeast along I-95 this evening.  We should remain warm in the city until late evening with the low passing nearly overhead before temperatures drop off quickly with the shift of winds to the north.

I'll update this thread over the evening if warnings are issued for flooding anywhere.

More:   Current Weather Page | Latest Flood Advisories