Rainy and cool weather sets up shop over Central PA

TODAY: Rainy & Cool. Hi 55. Winds: E 5-15 mph.

TONIGHT: Rainy & Cool, Breezy. Lo 46. Winds: E 10-15 mph. Gusts to 30 mph.

SATURDAY: Rainy & Cool. Hi 50. Winds: NE 10-15 mph. Gusts to 30 mph.

MOTHER'S DAY: AM Drizzle, Slow Clearing. Hi 60.

Sunshine, warmth, and a nice breeze made for a beautiful spring day across the region yesterday. Sadly, that type of weather won't last. Moving into Mother's Day weekend, an upper-level system with two separate areas of low pressure will bring a long-duration rain event to Central PA that will likely cause smaller streams and creeks to be on the rise. Even local rivers will see the water rise significantly by the end of the weekend. There is still hope to salvage Mother's Day itself, however. Let's break it down:

The first area of low pressure to plague the forecast has already arrived. Light rain will start our Friday before periods of heavy rain will be present throughout the rest of the day. Around 2" of rain is likely by tonight. This is absolutely going to be a good soaker. The rain lingers for Saturday too as a secondary area of low pressure stalls out nearby. Another 1" of rain is likely to add up during the day Saturday. A grand total of 2-4" of rain is possible by early Sunday. That will cause streams, creeks, and even rivers to rise and some minor flooding is possible. We'll keep an eye on things for you, but a FLOOD WATCH is posted for our western counties. Temperatures Friday and Saturday remain stuck in the 50s and with a stiff easterly breeze, it will be chilly in addition to the rain.

Mother's Day morning should feature drizzle and clouds with the same cool weather locked in place. Northern and northwestern counties may begin to see some early clearing, but elsewhere clouds likely remain pretty stubborn with slow clearing throughout the day. Temperatures for Mother’s Day will climb to near 60°.

At this time the start of next week remains sunny and dry with temperatures staying below normal. Believe it or not, the area of low pressure from this weekend will remain off-shore to our south and southeast as a remnant system. This may end up throwing clouds and light drizzle back to the Midstate by late next week, but widespread rain is not likely. Bottom line: things do improve after the next two days!

-Meteorologist Brett Thackara