The remains of Ida are not done yet! Ida which is over northern Alabama this morning will move northeast and interact with a cold front that is sitting along I-80. A band of intense rainfall will come out of the Tennessee Valley then enhance into very heavy rain along that cold front. Some areas from Pennsylvania into southern New England could see up to 7 or 8 inches of rain. Bands of thunderstorms which will hit the Southeast today with possible tornadoes will move northeast and hit the Mid-Atlantic into North Carolina Wednesday.

Quick hitting tornadoes may occur from south-central Pennsylvania through Virginia into North Carolina. The Delmarva could see severe storms today followed by more severe storms Wednesday. The HRRR model is pointing to an area across eastern Maryland, northern Virginia into the counties near Harrisburg as the possible tornado threat Wednesday.

The soggy summer may end with a bang as Ida heads into the Appalachians and New England Wednesday. These areas have had a lot of rainfall this summer with many areas running over 100% of normal rainfall for the month of August. The interaction of Ida with the cold front will cause a heavy band of rainfall of 2-7 inches in a 12 hour period cutting across the Appalachians into New England. NYC which has been hit hard by heavy rains will be hit again with heavy rains. The Mid-Atlantic from Philly south to Richmond will be in the severe weather zone and could see storms with strong wind gusts and perhaps even a tornado. It’s not out of the question that Ida brings a period of winds gusting over 40 mph to these areas Wednesday afternoon.

The front that is stuck across the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest will continue to be the focal point for more severe storms today and Saturday. We will most likely see waves of thunderstorms with each wave causing strong winds and hail. I do think there is a tornado threat but it’s a small threat, especially across parts of southern Minnesota into Wisconsin. We may see a complex of storms develop overnight that cascades into the Ohio Valley Saturday. The front will be held-up by Ida so it will take until next week to get the front fully through the Ohio Valley.

A complex of storms coming out of the Dakotas will intensify and become a squall line with wind gusts to 70 mph. In the end if the system really gets going, it can be classified as a Derecho. Model soundings suggest winds will be gusting over 70 mph with the passage of the squall line. I expect the line of storms to go from Iowa to Kentucky before weakening. Winds of this nature can cause significant damage to trees and property.