Coastal storm may bring rain and flooding to East Coast

A developing coastal storm could bring heavy rain, strong winds, rough surf and coastal flooding to parts of the East Coast this week and into the weekend, but its track and strength remain uncertain, forecasters said. The greatest potential impacts described in current forecasts span the Mid-Atlantic and New England, with risks varying by location and the system’s eventual path. The storm is expected to develop offshore and strengthen later in the week before possibly moving north toward the Northeast on Saturday or Sunday. Coastal flood watches were reported in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday evening, along with a gale watch for coastal waters through Thursday. Those watches do not settle how the weekend storm will affect any particular community. Rainfall projections vary. Rob Carolan, president of Hometown Forecast Services, said eastern Massachusetts could receive as much as 5 inches from Friday through the weekend. Separately, forecast data cited in another report put possible totals in Boston and Cape Cod as high as 7 inches through the weekend, depending on the storm’s path.