Get your umbrellas ready – Friday is shaping up to be a soggy day! We’re not talking about record-breaking rain, but certainly a much-needed soaking.
The rain will ramp up before dawn and continue through the evening, but it won’t rain non-stop. Rather, expect on-and-off light to moderate rain over the course of the entire day. Take extra caution during both the morning and evening commutes; both will be wet.
The morning commute, especially, could be tricky to the north and west of the city thanks to the chance for freezing rain. With temperatures dropping to just below freezing at sunrise in these areas, rain could freeze on contact with untreated roads, sidewalks and driveways, generating a razor-thin layer of ice.
If you encounter what looks like wet pavement early Friday, don’t assume it’s water. It could very well be a slippery sheet of ice.
By afternoon and evening, temperatures will be above freezing, so the rain and the relative warmth will help to melt our current snow pack far inland. The melting snow won’t lead to flooding, but it will exacerbate the effects of the rain and lead to ponding on low lying roads. Budget for extra time on the roads.
While Friday will come with commuting headaches, the rain we get is desperately needed.
2025 is off to an exceptionally dry start in Central Park. In fact, this month is currently the driest January on record for the city. Less than half an inch of liquid equivalent precipitation has fallen so far. Fortunately, Friday’s rain could double or triple that amount. It won’t be enough to erase January’s rain deficit, but it’ll help.
The Tri-State area continues to be in a drought situation that started last fall. We’ve seen improvements since December, but we still have a long way to go to be back to normal.
Looking ahead to the start of February we’ve got a couple more rain and/or snow chances on the horizon. They won’t be big storms, but they’ll help get February off to a wetter start than we had in January.
