Double dose of storms set to impact the eastern half of the country this weekend

Two separate storm systems will impact the eastern half of the country Friday and through the weekend.

On Friday, rain will linger from the Midwest into the Northeast as the first storm on the map slowly moves through these regions.

For places like New York City, this will extend what has been a dreary stretch of cloudy and drizzly days during which the sun hasn't shined in five days, since Monday afternoon.

While all rain is expected for the Interstate 95 corridor, freezing rain and snow will glaze over northern parts of New England through Friday night. This system heads off the coast by the evening hours, leaving behind stray snowshowers for New England that could total three-to-six inches by Saturday morning.

The combination of rain, snow and heavy river ice over frozen soil could contribute to flooding in the area.

Across the South, the next storm system will form from the southern Plains to the Gulf Coast, bringing the next surge of rain and storms to those regions heading into the weekend.

Eighteen million people in the U.S. are under flood watches as one storm system moves north and east and another brews in the south.

In Chicago and neighboring cities, a flood watch is in place throughout the weekend as moderate to heavy rain from the western edge of the midwestern storm system continues to pound the area.

On Saturday, rain will quickly increase in coverage and intensity throughout the day. The result will be even more rain for the already saturated Southeast and the Gulf Coast states. This significant rainfall will create localized areas of flash flooding, especially over urban areas, roads, and swollen rivers and streams.

Flood warnings in the south stretch across seven states from eastern Texas to northwest Georgia and continue through Saturday.

A severe weather risk will also be possible Saturday in the Southeast, with Alabama cities Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile in the greatest risk zone. New Orleans and Atlanta are also cities that could also see an isolated strong storm. Damaging wind gusts, a few tornadoes and hail will be all possible.

By Sunday, the storm system moves off the Eastern Seaboard, soaking the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston. Rain changes to snow and ice for the interior Northeast and along the Appalachians on Sunday night into Monday morning.

The greatest rainfall totals for this system will be along the Gulf Coast, where New Orleans could see 2 inches of rain through Sunday. Cities such as Washington; Richmond, Virginia; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama, could all see totals greater than 1 inch.

While the rainfall totals won't set records in this case, it will add to the bucket for cities already having a wetter-than-average January.

Numerous cities in the corridor from Texas to the Northeast have experienced more than double their average rainfall for the month of January, with many locations in the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast having a Top 10 wettest January on record.

Snowfall totals will max out around the 3 inch mark, with the greatest totals across the interior Northeast.

One reason why this series of storms is more wet than wintry is due to the springlike temperatures that have dominated this week.

All week, temperatures 10 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit above average have made it feel more like March and April for cities such as Cleveland, Richmond, Boston and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

This has already been one of the top five warmest winters on record for cities such as Minneapolis, Detroit, Buffalo, New York and Worcester, Massachusetts, with warm winter temperatures expected to last into February.