At its core, much of weather is attributable to the atmosphere trying to achieve the impossible: equilibrium. With that in mind, following a week of extremely quiet weather here in New York City, it's no surprise things are turning unusually active.

At least some parts of the area--along with southeastern New England--have a chance of very heavy rain and gusty winds Monday night into Tuesday. This is the result of not one, not two, but three separate influences including two tropical systems.

First, a cold front is moving in from the west. That's nothing new. But second, remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston are moving north-northeast from the Carolinas, and the tropical moisture interacting with the cold front is likely to amplify any rain.

But that isn't all. Today, another tropical storm formed--Hermine, currently located between Bermuda and the Carolinas. The storm center should stay relatively intact over the warm water south of Long Island as it moves north. Even if it curves out to sea, upper level steering winds should take some of its moisture and throw it into the already active mix from Gaston and the cold front.

Last weekend, forecasters were smiling at a virtual guarantee of five or more dry days in a row. But by the very cause of weather, there is never a free lunch.