CT Weather: Thunderstorms, Flooding Concerns Wednesday As Hurricane Erin Impacts Become Clearer

CONNECTICUT — The state is expected to get up to an inch and a half of rain this afternoon with a chance for thunderstorms, according to meteorologists.

WFSB is calling Wednesday a First Alert Weather Day due to widespread rain this afternoon and evening.

The National Weather Service is predicting that Wednesday will be a mostly cloudy and rainy day throughout southern New England, with highs in the mid 60s to low 70s. It anticipates rain will move in around 2 p.m. and move out by Thursday morning.

Both WFSB and the National Weather Service are predicting up to 1.5 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts.

“While we certainly need rain, too much too quickly could lead to a risk for isolated poor drainage/nuisance flooding,” according to WFSB.

The National Weather Service is predicting potential thunderstorms in Connecticut after 5 p.m. Wednesday night.

Hurricane Erin is expected to go out to sea, but WFSB predicts the storm will make it breezy this evening and overnight in Connecticut. Wind gusts could reach up to 30 miles per hour in southeastern portions of the state, according to WFSB, which cautions residents to check alerts before boating or swimming through Friday.

The hurricane will bring rough surf and a high rip current risk along the Atlantic coast through Friday evening, though Long Island will provide a buffer for much of the Connecticut coast, according to National Weather Service meteorologists.

Gov. Ned Lamont said on Facebook Wednesday that his administration is monitoring any potential impact from the hurricane on Connecticut.

“Right now, the storm is expected to pass well offshore to our south on Friday morning and will have very minor effects here,” Lamont said. “Any impacts will mostly be along the shore and within Long Island Sound. Winds will become breezy on Thursday night into Friday morning with gusts up to 40 mph along the immediate shoreline and peak waves around 6 feet.”

“Again, the forecast at the moment is expecting just minor impacts,” Lamont said. “We’ll continue to provide any important updates as needed.”

Come Friday, sunshine and warmer temperatures will prevail in the state, with the temperatures in the low to mid-80s, forecasters said.

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Here are the forecast details for southern Connecticut via the National Weather Service, as of Wednesday morning:

Today: Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 5 p.m. High near 73. East wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 11 p.m., then showers likely. Low around 60. Northeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Northeast wind 15 to 17 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Northeast wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 82. North wind 11 to 16 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65.

Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.

Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service, as of Wednesday morning:

Today: Showers, mainly after 2 p.m. High near 66. Northeast wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers, mainly before 1 a.m. Patchy fog. Low around 56. North wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Thursday: A chance of showers, mainly before 7 a.m. Patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Northeast wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. North wind around 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. South wind 6 to 8 mph.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.