Looks like more rain is likely the next few days for an area of the country that's had more than its fair share this year already.  Take a look at how much has already fallen in some locations this year:

Location                    2011 Total (in.)         Avg. Annual (in.)          Excess Already in 2011 (in.)

Cleveland, OH                51.62                         39.10                                12.52

Harrisburg, PA                62.82                         41.58                                21.24

Binghamton, NY              58.67                         39.24                                19.43

Source: weather.com

These areas could end up seeing another 1-4 inches of rain through Friday this week.  Another system coming through the area this weekend will likely be more wind than rain but with the wind comes an increased chance of lake effect precipitation in places like northern Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania and Upstate New York.

As you can see from the current surface map, there are 3 systems that will impact the Northeast.  The low currently off the coast, the low pressure currently in Wisconsin and the low pressure system(s) currently north of Minnesota in southwestern Ontario, Canada.

For those in areas prone to flooding or who haven't dried out from recent floods, you can use Weather Defender to track total storm precipitation.  Here's a screenshot from Indianapolis to show how Weather Defender plots rainfall totals.  The darkest green areas shown have received between 1.5 - 2 inches of rain.

Weather Defender offers virtually endless layering options that allow the casual weather observer all the way to the hard core storm chaser the ability to track the weather that's important to them.

As Hurricane Irene works its way up the east coast, some of the most densely populated areas of the northeast are bracing for the worst hurricane landfall since Hurricane Bertha in 1996.  At the time, Bertha caused over $350 million (2008 US$) in damages and was responsible for 12 deaths. 

Hurricane Irene is currently projected to impact many of the major east coast cities including Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York.  Boston likely won't escape unscathed either. 

Those in the path can expect to experience power outages from the high winds.  There will be large amounts of rain deposited that will cause considerable flooding both along the coast and inland.  The coasts will also have a major problem with beach erosion.

Weather Defender's hurricane tracking features can show you where the storm has been, where it's heading, wind probabilities, hurricane watches and warnings and everything else you need to stay ahead of the storm.  You can see many of these in the image below.  

For those on the east coast, be sure to stay safe and heed all public advisories. 

While a large portion of the country struggles with a heat wave, the upper midwest will be dealing with the possibility of strong storms later today and tomorrow.  While tornadoes are possible, the main threat looks to be strong winds and hail.

Day 1 Convective Outlook (also showing current temperatures) 

Day 2 Convective Outlook

With any luck, the storms won't do any damage and may provide a brief respite for the upper midwest from the oppressive heat.

Some recent heat related records/stats:

• Bowling Green, KY (new high for 7/27) of 109°F (old record of 108°F had stood since 1930)
• Dallas, TX (new high minimum temperature all time) of 86°F on 7/26
• Speaking of Dallas, they are currently in the middle of their 3rd longest streak (ever) of 100+ days - currently at 25 (record 42)
• New York City used 1 Trillion Watt Hours of electricity over a 4 day heat wave last week (equals Vermont's total for 2 normal months)
• Wichita Falls, TX (new high minimum temperature all time) of 88°F (old record was 83°F in 1952) on 7/26