Flood watch issued as heavy storms to roll through central Pa.; tornado can't be ruled out

It's expected to be a stormy start for the Memorial Day weekend with heavy storms to drench the area with one to three inches of rain, possibly leading to flash flooding.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for central Pennsylvania, including Adams, Franklin, Lebanon and York counties, from 2 p.m. through this evening.

The weather service says it can't rule out a tornado, either. A tornado watch has been issued just to the south of Pennsylvania and includes Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

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In central Pennsylvania, the heavy showers and storms are predicted to deliver one to two inches of rain within 30 to 60 minutes, but some spots could see 3 inches or more, the weather service said. That could lead to flash flooding.

It urges the public to monitor the forecast and be ready to take action.

AccuWeather.com warns today's storms also could bring hail, damaging wind gusts and an isolated tornado.

The high today is expected to be 75 degrees.

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The entire holiday weekend will not be a washout.

A chance of showers and storms is in the forecast for Saturday, but sunshine returns for the rest of the weekend. The high is expected to be 79 on Sunday and 87 on Memorial Day, according to the National Weather Service.

Check back later for any updates, as this is a developing story.

Teresa Boeckel is the trending reporter for the York Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Contact her at tboeckel@ydr.com, by phone at 717-771-2031 or on Twitter @teresaboeckel.