Overall, weather won’t have a major impact on freight movement today or tonight, November 14. Roads may still be slippery in parts of the Midwest and Northeast after ice and record snowfall from earlier this week. However, no large-scale snowstorms are in the forecast for today.
Snowfall
Some lake-effect snow showers may return to freight markets downwind of two of the Great Lakes – Erie and Ontario – markets such as Erie, Pennsylvania, as well as Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, New York. New accumulations should be less than two inches. These markets aren’t known for high outbound volumes, but drivers could run into short-term delays when making local/regional deliveries. Light/moderate snowfall could spread to interior portions of New England, too, mainly in northern sections of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Rainfall
Meanwhile, scattered rain showers will stretch from central Texas across the Deep South to Florida, mainly due to a low pressure system gliding along the Gulf Coast. Rain could be heavy in some spots, but any potential flash flooding should be localized rather than widespread. Some of the heaviest rainfall – possible totals of two to three inches – could drench areas from Apalachicola, Florida to Valdosta, Georgia.
In addition to showers, thunderstorms could pop across the Florida peninsula where a frontal boundary has stalled. But large hail, tornadoes and severe winds are not likely. Rain will spread into the Carolinas overnight.
The nearly full moon continues to make waves from northeastern Florida – Flagler Beach, St. Augustine and Jacksonville – to Brunswick, Georgia. Strong onshore flow and high tides will produce minor coastal flooding and beach erosion in these areas. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), tides will run one to two feet above predicted levels for places in the St. Johns River Basin and inlets in southeastern Georgia. Ponding/minor flooding is possible on the US-1 and A1A corridors.
Other notable U.S. weather
Health could be a concern for some drivers in the Pacific Northwest. Bad air quality will persist today and tomorrow, November 15, in the Yakima Valley of Washington state and from interior portions of Oregon to Boise, Idaho. An extended period of high pressure and light winds has produced a stagnant air mass over the region, with pollutants trapped in the lower atmosphere. Drivers with heart or respiratory conditions should spend as little time as possible outside of their trucks.
Tropical update
Tropical Depression Kalmaegi is still spinning over the western Phillipine Sea, producing sustained winds of only 35 mph. It has remained at virtually the same strength for the past 24 hours. However, Kalmaegi will likely intensify over the next few days. It probably won’t reach typhoon strength – winds of at least 74 mph – but winds could be at 50 to 60 mph upon landfall.
On Kalmaegi’s current forecast track, winds and storm surge will increase in the northern Philippines this weekend, with a direct landfall possible on Sunday, Nov. 17 just north of Palanan. Shippers may have to deal with short-term delays in ocean freight. Minor disruptions are likely to local and regional business and supply chain operations.