The National Weather Service issues flood watches for Delaware Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon.
Showers begin Tuesday morning, will get heavier into the afternoon and evening, and will taper off after midnight.
National Weather Service Mount Holly meteorologist Ray Martin says the state can expect one to three inches of rain, with the highest amounts in the northern part of the state. He adds this storm will bring strong winds.
“Up to 60 miles per hour along the coast and 50 miles per hour further inland," Martin says. "That could bring down trees and power lines, especially trees because the ground will also be very saturated so, less support from the soil, given how much rain we’ve already had for the past couple of months.”
Martin says storm winds will also promote tidal and freshwater flooding, giving caution to beach residents and anyone near the Delaware Bay area or Brandywine and Christina Rivers.
Martin adds the storm will bring some warm weather too – reaching the 50’s Tuesday evening and potentially touching the 60’s through the night.
Martin says the heavy rain pattern exhibited over the last few weeks could be attributed to El Niño, a natural climate pattern occurring every 2-7 years with warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator.
"I can’t say for definitely, but it’s likely resulted from the El Niño that’s going on that tends to add extra juice to these storms coming out of the Southwest," Martin says.
Martin advises securing any loose items outside like lawn ornaments or leftover holiday decorations, and to avoid traveling on the roads if possible.
