Storm brewing off East Coast may affect New York this weekend, says AccuWeather forecaster

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A storm system developing near Florida may work up the East Coast later this week and bring a range of impacts to New York, according to an AccuWeather forecaster.

John Feerick, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said the area of low pressure has a “small window” to strengthen into either a subtropical or tropical depression in the coming days, though chances for that level of development are low. The next system to reach named storm status, with maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph, will be called Ophelia.

“Regardless of whether it becomes a tropical storm, or whether it just remains an area of low pressure, impacts, at least across the Northeast, are probably going to be largely the same,” Feerick said.

A threat of coastal flooding, gusty wind and rain will rise as the weekend approaches, he said, potentially spoiling the final days of summer.

Weather is likely to be ideal through Friday, though rough surf and coastal flooding during high tide may begin to turn up Friday evening, according to Feerick. The earliest arrival time for rain is late Friday night, he said, when winds may also begin making an impact.

Then, a wet weekend will become likely.

“Unfortunately, it looks like there’s going to be times of rain right through the weekend,” Feerick said.

Precipitation is not forecast to occur consistently during the entire weekend, but rainfall could become heavy at times, possibly triggering some flooding on roads and vulnerable areas, he said.

“Just looks like kind of an ugly, ugly weekend again,” Feerick said.

Hurricane forecasters are eyeing a separate system emerging off the west coast of Africa. That tropical wave has a 70% chance for formation within the next seven days as it encounters environmental conditions conducive to development.