PORTLAND, Maine (AP) 鈥� The U.S. East Coast is due for a whiplash-inducing stretch of weather that will be rainy, windy and potentially dangerous, due in part to an atmospheric river and developing .
The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and fierce winds to many areas from Tuesday night to Wednesday night, and flooding is possible in some locales, forecasters said. Utilities were also gearing up for potential power outages from damage caused by winds that could exceed 60 mph (97 kph) in some areas.
One of the key factors driving the weather is , which is a long band of water vapor that can transport moisture from the tropics to more northern areas, said Derek Schroeter, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.
The storm has the ability to hit New England hard because it could from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. Southeast, and transport it to places like western Maine, which could see freezing rain, downpours, unseasonably high temperatures and damaging winds all in the span of a day, Schroeter said. The state was preparing for a 鈥渕ultifaceted storm鈥� that could bring two to three inches of rainfall in some areas, Schroeter said.
Similar conditions were possible elsewhere from Tuesday night to Wednesday night.
鈥淲e're looking at the risk of slick travel (Tuesday night) with the freezing rain," Schroeter said, 鈥渁nd we are going to be watching for the potential for flash flooding and sharp rises on streams as temperatures rise into the 50s (10-15 Celsius).鈥�
Forecasters also said the storm had the potential to include a process that meteorologists call , or a 鈥渂omb cyclone.鈥� That is the rapid intensification of a cyclone in a short period of time, and it has the ability to bring severe rainfall.
Some parts of the Northeast were already preparing for bad weather. In Maine, some schools operated on a delay on Tuesday, which began with a few inches of snow. A flood watch for Vermont runs from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning.
The city of Montpelier, Vermont, was advising residents to prepare for mild in the area and to elevate items in basements and low areas that are prone to flooding. The city said Tuesday that it has been in contact with the National Weather Service and Vermont Dam Safety and 鈥渨ill be actively monitoring the river levels as this storm passes through.鈥�
Ski resorts around the Northeast were preparing visitors for a potentially messy day on Wednesday. Stratton Mountain Resort, in southern Vermont, posted on its website that patrons 鈥渕ake sure to pack your Gore-Tex gear because it鈥檚 going to be a wet one.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Lisa Rathke contributed to this story in Marshfield, Vermont.
Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press
