NYC Weather: Election Day Storms In Forecast

NEW YORK — A thunderstorm could strike New York City as voters head to the polls for Tuesday's midterm elections. The possible storms will come amid a rainy start to the work week, according to the National Weather Service.

Showers are most likely to start late Monday morning and will loom throughout the day, with about half an inch of rain expected to hit Central Park by early Tuesday morning, the weather service says.

The rain should let up overnight before picking up again late Tuesday morning, accompanied by a chance of thunder, the forecast shows. About another half-inch will soak Central Park by Tuesday evening, though the temperature will be warmer than normal with a high near 64 degrees, according to the weather service.

The nasty weather could impact voter turnout in the races for governor, Congress and state Legislature. A 2007 study of presidential elections from 1948 to 2000 found that turnout decreased by just less than 1 percent for every inch of rain.

But rain's effect on turnout "has been getting weaker in recent years, and it might even be zero now," Thomas Fujiwara, an assistant professor of economics at Princeton University, told The Washington Post in 2016.

"There are many potential reasons for this, early voting and mail voting being the most likely candidates," Fujiwara told the paper. (New York, though, does not have early voting.)

Whoever claims Election Day victories will have a nice day for celebrating — sunshine and a high near 60 are expected for Wednesday, the weather service says.

Here's a closer look at what to expect from the weather this week, courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Monday
Rain, mainly after 9am. High near 54. East wind 13 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Monday Night
Rain before 4am, then a slight chance of rain after 5am. Low around 52. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light northeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday
Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 3pm, then rain likely. High near 64. East wind 6 to 9 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 50. West wind 7 to 9 mph.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. West wind around 9 mph.

Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 43.

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 55.

Thursday Night
A 40 percent chance of rain after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.

Friday
Rain likely, mainly before 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of rain before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.

(Lead image: A voter enters a polling place in Brooklyn on Sept. 13, 2018. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)