It’s going to be a rainy week in Philly

Keep those umbrellas handy all week, folks.

Following one of the wettest Marches on record for the Philadelphia region, April got off to a rainy start Monday. And forecasters expect it to stay that way for much of the week, thanks to multiple low-pressure systems moving through the area over the next few days.

But the good news is no significant flooding is expected, despite the 2 to 3 inches of rain forecasted to fall throughout the week. So, while kicking off the month with a wet one might be somewhat of a bummer, at least there’s something of a silver lining.

“The benefit to us is that it falls over a longer period of time,” said Lee Robertson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. “It’s over a three to four-day period, so it won’t cause a major rapid rise or any kind of flooding.”

The wet weather could, however, lead to some ponding on roadways and in poor drainage areas, and cause some local creeks and streams to rise, Robertson added.

The region saw rain through much of Monday, drying out in the afternoon. Precipitation was expected to pick back up later in the evening and continue into the night, the weather service forecasted.

More persistent periods of steady, continuous rainfall are expected to last through Tuesday and Wednesday, Robertson said. But we can expect some breaks in between those bouts of precipitation, too.

“Each time a low-pressure system moves into the area, it brings rainfall,” Robertson said. “It’s not going to rain straight for the next three days — there will be breaks in between.”

As Thursday and Friday arrive, we’re looking at “more showery and hit-or-miss” weather as lower-pressure systems linger, Robertson said, so you still may want to keep the umbrella at the ready. And as the weekend approaches, we’re likely to see things dry out.

Cooler temperatures are expected throughout the week, ranging from highs in the upper 40s to lower 50s during the day, and lows in the mid-40s at night. On Wednesday, a cold front arrives, so nighttime temperatures could drop into the 30s, Robertson said.

While the region is likely to be drenched this week, we’re getting off light compared to some other areas. The wet weather is part of a storm system moving across the United States that has led to severe weather in Western and Central states, and could even result in an early spring snowstorm as it hits New England, the Washington Post reported.

Philly, however, doesn’t exactly need the rain right now. Last month, according to the weather service, was the fourth-wettest March for the Philadelphia area, with 7.19 inches of rainfall. In an average March, the region sees just under 4 inches of rain.

The typical Philly April, meanwhile, is warmer and wet, with an average monthly rainfall of 3.47 inches, and temperatures ranging from the mid-60s to mid-40s, according to the weather service.