Rain patterns on PA sections

[rbeck]

How would late May rains impact hiking the AT in PA? When hiking at home in AZ during "rainy season" we carry our ponchos but know the rains won't come until late afternoon--usually. When they do, they are--usually--short lived down pours that you can wait out. And, they are so localized it might not rain at all where we are hiking.

Does a rainy forecast for PA mean "cancel the hike" or "get wet for part of the day" or "be prepared for drizzles"? Are there such things as flash floods across the trail? Is lightning a problem/concern? Does the trail cross waterways that may become impassable?

Thanks again for your information.

[Mother Natures Son]

All of the above. Next week forecast, Rain, Light, drizzle poring down, all day rain. Welcome to PA. Did I mention that the famous rocks that the trail run over get really slippery when wet? Like Ice. No joke. You do have insurance, right? Meet to many hikers that got hurt on the rocks.Yea, the trail in PA is tough and only the tough or foolish hike in Rainy Season.

[Malto]

Does a rainy forecast for PA mean "cancel the hike" or "get wet for part of the day" or "be prepared for drizzles"? Are there such things as flash floods across the trail? Is lightning a problem/concern? Does the trail cross waterways that may become impassable?

rain can mean all of the above. There are few stream crossing and most of the trail is on the ridge so not sure there's a lot of flash flooding. lightening, no worse than the rest of the trail.

[biggcarl]

Weather in PA this time a year is at best is unpredictable. Last week we had two days with seven inches of rain that was not a tropical storm. Temps in the morning this week have been high 30's-low 40's when I get in the car at 6am-ish to highs in the 70-80's after work. We've had brief passing showers this week with winds. Later in the summer storms tend to pop up at evening/night and can be intense.

[rafe]

One of the effects of climate change has been an increase of heavy precipitation events, particularly in the northeast part of the US.

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/northeast.html

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/05/06/federal-report-details-dire-effects-climate-change-northeast/4x1ZDdDiHl8RvDX8nO4qOM/story.html

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/in-northeast-us-more-rain-heat-waves-and-rising-sea-levels-1.1681512

[Spirit Walker]

May tends to be the drizzle kind of rain, but thunderstorms are also a possibility. No issue with flash flooding, esp. on the trail, though you might want to be careful where you set up your tent. Don't let it stop you. When hiking on the AT, rain is always a possibility. Our forecast last week called for "chance of showers' almost every day, but it only actually rained once, and that wasn't for long.