【DMCA】

2016 is DMCAturning out to be the year of the flood, at least in the U.S. Most recently, there were the Louisiana floods, which caused more than $1 billion in damage and displaced tens of thousands of people. Before that, there was the violent flash flood in Ellicott City, Maryland, and the deadly flood in West Virginia in June.

Now weather forecasters are warning of a potentially dangerous scenario already beginning to unfold across the Mid-Atlantic states. Both Washington, D.C., and Baltimore are in the crosshairs for this system, with as much as 5 to 8 inches or more of rain likely to fall through Friday.

Higher amounts, possibly as much as 10 to 12 inches of rain, are within the realm of possibility from this weather pattern.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: Climate change poses a major security risk to the U.S. today, intelligence report warns

In fact, short-term forecasts show that up to 8 inches of rain may fall along the I-95 corridor on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with still more rain to come after that.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

A low pressure area in the upper levels of the atmosphere will set up residence just to the west of the Mid-Atlantic, with a moist southeasterly air flow out ahead of it transporting an unusually moist air mass off the Atlantic Ocean and into the Mid-Atlantic.

The air at mid-to-upper levels of the atmosphere will be diverging above the Mid-Atlantic, which encourages air to rise, cool and condense to form clouds and precipitation. Forecast models are showing sustained lifting of an increasingly humid air mass from Wednesday through Friday.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

In fact, the moisture will be so abundant that it can be thought of as the East Coast's version of an atmospheric river, which are a phenomenon more frequently seen in West Coast storms.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Here's how the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang blog describes the forecast for its large readership:

A rather awe-inspiring combination of meteorological forces is set to unfold across the greater Washington, D.C., region in the next three days. The moisture feed off the Atlantic is expected to be robust — if not exceptional — for this time of year. The potential for widespread flooding is very high, akin to that from a tropical storm or hurricane.

The winds coming off the Atlantic will form a strong current known as a low-level jet, at an altitude of about 5,000 feet.

The total transport of water vapor from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mid-Atlantic will yield an air mass that more closely resembles what might expect in a tropical storm or hurricane, with extremely high moisture levels that can be wrung out of the air as torrential rainfall. Total water vapor transport will be about three standard deviations above average, according to the National Weather Service.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Part of the reason there will be so much precipitable water for this storm is the fact that sea surface temperatures off the Mid-Atlantic coast are still running much higher than average for this time of year.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

It's difficult for meteorologists to pinpoint which areas will receive the highest rainfall totals, although one bulls-eye appears to be along the mountains northwest of Washington. Here, winds flowing up and over the high terrain will enhance rainfall rates.

However, stalled frontal zones and other factors could result in surprises, including much higher rainfall totals across the Interstate-95 corridor.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Because this region has been relatively dry during the past few months, flooding will be a threat once rainfall passes a particular threshold (around 3 inches in 6 hours or less in some places, a bit more in others).

Flooding will also depend on rainfall rates, with a longer period of steady rains minimizing the threat of flash flooding but raising the possibility of small stream and river flooding.

As in many other areas, heavy precipitation events in the Mid-Atlantic region have been on the rise in a trend linked to human-caused global warming. As air temperatures warm, more water vapor is available for storm systems.

In addition, higher ocean temperatures also boost water vapor, which further adds to the precipitation potential of a storm system.