Willa will drench US states and could turn into a nor’easter
(CNN) After walloping Mexico as a hurricane, the storm known as Willa is now heading to the US — where it could spawn the first nor’easter of the year.
During its days-long slog from the Pacific to the Atlantic, Willa will also unload heavy rain in places that really don’t need it.
Here are three ways Tropical Depression Willa could wreak havoc from Texas to New England:
Texas will get deluged (again)
Willa crosses Mexico and heads toward the US
The Lone Star State can’t take much more rain. But on Wednesday, Willa is forecast to dump up to 4 inches in parts of Texas, with more than 4.4 million facing flooding threats.
Much of central and eastern Texas has already been soaked this past month, CNN meteorologist Monica Garrett said.
“If rain falls heavy enough, flash flooding could become an issue,” Garrett said.
The Southeast will get hit next
Willa will continue its rain-soaked march to the Southeast, where it’s expected to drop 1 to 2 inches of rain. Areas around the Gulf Coast will get drenched the most, Garrett said.
Then we might see a nor’easter
In Willa’s dramatic finale, remnants of the former Category 5 hurricane will move into the Atlantic Ocean and get a startling makeover this weekend.
“The storm will encounter colder air, which will transform from a tropical area of low pressure to a more wintertime-like storm system,” CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.
“If the low pressure tracks up the East Coast of the US, it could become the season’s first nor’easter. This would bring significant amounts of rain and wind Saturday and Sunday in cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.”
The good news: Major cities in the Northeast will probably avoid snow. But inland and mountainous parts of the region might not be so lucky.
“Exact impacts will depend on the particular track the storm takes up the East Coast, and some models take the system farther out to sea, which would minimize the wind and snow/rain amounts,” Miller said.
Either way, Miller said, “Willa will have a second life over the United States.”