A potent storm system will move across the Great Lakes on Thursday before unleashing a soaking Friday storm across the Northeast, accompanied by strong wind gusts and potentially hazardous conditions.
Colder air will surge in behind the system, bringing some of the Northeast’s chilliest temperatures of the season so far this weekend. Higher elevations could even see their first measurable snow.
The storm was once expected to “bomb out” near the New England coast Friday. However, forecasters now say it is unlikely to become strong enough to meet the definition of bombogenesis, when the central pressure of a non-tropical storm falls at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
“The storm will come close, but won’t officially ‘bomb out,’” the FOX Forecast Center said.
Even without reaching bombogenesis, the New England coast could experience Friday wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph, with isolated gusts reaching 50 mph. Marine conditions may also become dangerous.
The most powerful winds are expected farther north, particularly around Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Storm sweeps through the Great Lakes Thursday
The storm will track across portions of the Midwest and Great Lakes throughout Thursday.
“Cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Louis will see the rain begin in the morning, while it will hold off until the afternoon or early evening in cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Indianapolis,” the FOX Forecast Center said.
“Rainfall amounts should generally remain under an inch, so widespread flooding is not a concern.”
For some communities, the opening wave of rain could arrive with severe weather during the afternoon.
NOAA has placed an area extending from St. Louis through central Illinois and central Indiana to Cleveland under a Level 1 of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: What Happened in Kelly Clarkson’s Brooklyn Store Confrontation
Friday washout for Northeast
Rain will spread into the Northeast, including the I-95 corridor, by Friday morning, likely making for a wet and slippery commute.
The system will intensify during the day, producing wind gusts of 25 to 40 mph across the region, including Boston and New York City.
Severe thunderstorms may form during the afternoon in the Mid-Atlantic, as well as New York’s Catskills and Hudson Valley. A Level 2 severe thunderstorm risk covers parts of eastern Pennsylvania, northern Maryland and New Jersey along the Pennsylvania border.
Damaging straight-line winds are expected to pose the greatest threat, although an isolated tornado or two cannot be ruled out.
Rain could become heavier during Friday evening’s commute, with up to an inch possible north of the Interstate 90 corridor through Friday night.
The storm should gradually weaken and move away late Friday.
Weekend fall chill
A sharp blast of colder air will follow, bringing the season’s coldest temperatures so far and abruptly ending the record-setting warmth that has affected much of the eastern United States this week.
Morning temperatures in interior Pennsylvania valleys, parts of Upstate New York and Northern New England could fall into the upper 20s and lower 30s this weekend.
The Adirondacks, Green Mountains and White Mountains could receive 1 to 3 inches of snow by Saturday night.
Meanwhile, parts of the Ohio Valley, Northern New Jersey, and New York’s Hudson Valley could see their first frost of the season.
Breezy conditions will remain through Saturday.