It’s an A+ spring day for many people temperature flew high in the 60s, 70s and even 80s and the clear blue skies reigned under the high pressure.

You may have noticed I say “many” not “all”. That’s because we have a few notable exceptions.

Using steam imaging, we can see a stream of moisture impacting the Pacific Northwest. As discussed in a blog last week, more systems moving through will keep the region wetter and cooler while the rest of the West (and much of the East) warms.

In addition, we can see a short wave deepening over the Southern Plateau as moisture flows before it into the Central and southern Plains. In a very short time, this feature will make the Central region likely to have thunderstorms in several places today. In the coming days, it will move south and cause little trouble for the Gulf Coast.

As it moves south, the feature will be cut off from the jet stream. It will then linger in the northern Gulf of Mexico until it is picked up by the next trench coming later this week.

So while much of the country is enjoying clear blue skies and warm temperatures, parts of the Gulf Coast will experience a few days of cooler, more cloudy and wetter weather.

A few days of prolonged low temperatures could easily produce an inch or more of rain for most of the Southeast coastal region.

Some of the most notable totals can be seen on the Atlantic side of Peninsular Florida as shore currents bring showers and heavy rain. Since the entire Florida Peninsula is still within drought, this could be good news – as long as it doesn’t come all at once. In places where heavy rainfall lasts the longest, flash flooding can become a problem.

However, long-term onshore currents also have less desirable consequences.

Those consequences come in the form of coastal flooding. Winds will push water ashore, increasing tides and potentially flooding vulnerable coastal sites.

We have seen this happen more and more often as sea levels rise over the years. In fact, a coastal flood warning is in effect for the northeastern portion of peninsular/southeastern Georgia this afternoon. As winds continue to change direction, various parts of the Peninsula/parts of the Central Gulf Coast will be threatened by coastal flooding over the next few days. If your property is riverside and susceptible to coastal flooding, plan ahead to protect it if possible.

Enjoyed a few days of much needed rain and slightly cooler temperatures. The heat will return by the end of the week.

About the author

Meghan Gulledge

Meteorologist – ’22 Mississippi State Writer for Weather.us and Weathermodels.com. Focus on weather communication. BoyMom x1, CatMom ​​x5. Twitter: @MegGulledgeWX