“…if water covers the roadway, always turn around as you never know how deep the water may be…”

Residents of the Northeast will have to contend with drenching storms Monday while another area of severe weather could break out late at night in the High Plains.

While the nation as a whole will be void of any substantial severe weather areas, many cities from the Rockies to the East will experience hit and miss downpours throughout the day.

East Downpours

A cold front pressing into the eastern part of the nation will tap into a warm, moist atmosphere, setting the stage for bouts of showers and thunderstorms from Burlington, Vt., to Pittsburgh, Pa., and Charleston, W.Va.

Most areas could use the rainfall, especially across western New York and Pennsylvania where abnormally dry conditions are found.

The danger with a front crossing into such a warm and humid atmosphere is the fact that some storms could produce locally heavy downpours. Rainfall amounts in a one-hour time frame will exceed one inch in some locations, leading to flash flooding, especially of poor-drainage and low-lying areas.

On the other side, a few of the thunderstorms will have the potential to produce damaging wind gusts as they develop with the heating of the day.

If there is going to be any severe weather, the best chance will be across western New York and western Pennsylvania where the setup is the best.

Buffalo, N.Y., Erie, Pa., and Morgantown, W.Va., stand the chance for a brief period of damaging winds in association with the expected thunderstorms.

This front will sweep from west to east across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, sending shower and thunderstorm activity eastward into the I-95 corridor cities by the late-afternoon hours.

New York, Boston and Baltimore could all experience downpours during the evening rush on Monday.

Always remember, if water covers the roadway, always turn around as you never know how deep the water may be.

High Plains Storms

Another area to watch for potential severe weather on Monday will be across the High Plains. Residents across the western Dakotas and eastern Montana could experience a nighttime round of severe weather.

A disturbance coming out of the northern Rockies will interact with hot conditions over the Plains, leading to thunderstorm formation around the rim of the heat.

Starting Monday evening, thunderstorms will develop first across eastern Montana and far-northeastern Wyoming before shifting into the western Dakotas late at night.

Strong wind gusts of 60 mph, hail to the size of baseballs and flooding downpours are the main threats.

An isolated tornado or two is also possible in this region where the wind shear or twisting of the winds in the atmosphere is greater.