Washington, DC, Philadelphia and New York City will likely see periods of heavy rain in addition to potentially damaging wind gusts beginning Tuesday afternoon as severe storms fire up over more than 85 million people across the heavily traveled Interstate 95 corridor ahead of and during the evening commute.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, rain rates could reach up to 2 inches per hour on Tuesday, enhanced by the heavy tropical moisture left behind from the remnants of Tropical Depression Chantal.
The high humidity combined with a heat index over 90 degrees will create muggy and oppressive conditions ahead of the storms. Heat alerts have been issued for most of the Eastern Seaboard.
NOAA satellite image of the United States. NOAA Severe storms are expected to hit the northeast United States area. Fox Weather
The intensity of the rain has prompted flash flood watches for parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic beginning Tuesday afternoon.
Storms are expected to begin mid-Tuesday afternoon ahead of a cold front that will move through the Northeast