Northeast Pennsylvania — parts of which were already saturated by rainfall early Monday — is under a flood watch until late tonight.
The National Weather Service office at Binghamton, New York, issued the watch for Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming, Susquehanna, Wayne and Pike counties. Flood watches were also issued for Schuylkill County by the NWS office in State College, and for Monroe County by the NWS office in Philadelphia.
The weather service said scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening are expected to be slow moving and can produce torrential downpours with rainfall rates near or exceeding 2 inches per hour at times. Showers and storms may track over the same areas multiple times, which will increase the threat for flash flooding. Temperatures during the day are expected to be in the upper 80s.
The NWS warned that excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.
Thunderstorms overnight Sunday into Monday morning left substantial rainfall across the region. At Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Pittston Twp., the weather service recorded nearly an inch and a half of precipitation, most of it before 5 a.m.
Overnight tonight, the weather service is calling for a continued chance of showers, with patchy dense fog and a low around 68.
Midweek will feel tropical, with high temperatures around 90, and showers and thunderstorms a possibility every day.
Tuesday should be mostly sunny with a high near 90, with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Tuesday night’s low is expected to be 70 degrees.
Wednesday is likely to be partly sunny with a high near 90. There’s a slight chance of showers and a thunderstorm, especially after 2 p.m. Expect more showers and thunderstorms overnight into Thursday morning.
On Thursday, mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast with a high near 90. Showers and a thunderstorm are possible, particularly after 2 p.m., according to the NWS.