00:00A cross-country storm is continuing its trek after drenching much of the south-central U.S.
00:04We were tracking it last night, and you can see some of the clouds over Arkansas as the storms rolled
00:09through.
00:09Now those storms are on the move through parts of the southeast and the Midwest and headed to the northeast.
00:16That's where we have some different concerns.
00:18This storm has brought a lot of different impacts.
00:20I mean, we had flooding, very significant flooding across the southwest, severe weather.
00:25Can't rule out some flash flooding in the Ohio Valley, especially today.
00:28But then our attention turns to flash flooding along the east coast as we head into the end of the
00:33week.
00:33But it'll look very different than what we saw in the southwest.
00:37So I know when I just went through the impacts there, they probably sound very similar.
00:40But they're going to look very different.
00:42So tonight through Thursday, here's our footprint.
00:45Everybody that sees the rain.
00:46Now you'll notice the thunderstorms, those are going to stay pretty much Virginia Beach on south.
00:52And today into tomorrow even, can't rule out a few stronger storms,
00:56which Jeff will talk about and has been talking about in other parts of the show.
01:01But as we focus further north, for a lot of us, this is just the significance that it's the end
01:06of a long dry stretch.
01:08More than two weeks that a lot of us have been dry.
01:11I mean, take a look.
01:11The last time we had measurable rainfall in Albany was mid-October.
01:16For actually everybody on the list here, October 16th, Albany, Boston, Harrisburg, Hartford, Pittsburgh, all in the same boat.
01:22Though what this rain looks like in Boston versus Pittsburgh, two different stories.
01:29Now, I want to talk a little bit more about why it's significant that this is the first rain in
01:33such a long time
01:34and what that's going to mean for us because it's not just, okay, it's finally raining.
01:41That helps, especially because we have had some wildfires.
01:43But it brings some big risks, especially when it comes to being out on the roads.
01:49The crash risk really rises when rain returns after being dry for quite a long time.
01:54I mean, the difference between two days without rain versus 21 or more days without rain, it's a big difference.
02:00And the reason for this or part of the reason for this is because of what happens on the roads.
02:07So we talk about this a lot of times in Southern California because this is where we get a lot
02:11of dry stretches and then rain returning.
02:13But oil and debris that's in the road that rises to the surface and creates slick conditions on the roads.
02:20And then even heavier rain washes the contaminants away.
02:24But we need the heavy rain to get rid of it.
02:26So at first, things can be pretty slick.
02:28We'll take a look at how the rain moves in here quickly as we get into tonight.
02:33Some of you, I mean, you might sleep through all of the rain.
02:35Somewhere like central Pennsylvania.
02:37And you might think it's done by the time we get to the evening commute.
02:40But it's this second round along the east coast that's bringing a lot of the concerns for, you know,
02:46one to up to six inches of rain and flash flooding, especially as we get into coastal New England here.
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