Raindrops Not 'Teardrop' Shaped And More You Didn't Know

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A​ storm system sweeping through the eastern states could produce localized flooding rainfall and strong winds that might down trees and knock out power, especially in New England. In its wake, colder air returning means heavy lake-effect snow will develop in the Great Lakes.

Breaking Down The Threats

H​eavy Rain

• W​idespread rain will affect road and air travel in the Northeast through early Thursday morning.
• R​ainfall could be heavy at times, leading to localized flooding, especially in urban and poor drainage areas.
• T​he greatest chance of flooding exists in New England, where localized rainfall totals might reach 2 to 4 inches. Some minor river flooding is possible in the region from a combination of the heavy rain and melting snow on the ground.

H​igh Winds

• Strong, gusty winds will impact much of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coastline through early Thursday.
• High winds capable of knocking out power or downing trees are most possible from Long Island to eastern New England, including the Boston and Providence metro areas. Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are possible in these areas.
• The high winds in some areas might occur in a few severe thunderstorms that develop from the Southeast coast to coastal southern New England. A few tornadoes are even possible in extreme eastern North Carolina.

Snowfall

• W​hile some minor accumulating snow could impact interior areas of the Northeast as colder air arrives Wednesday and Wednesday night, the heaviest totals will be from lake-effect snow. Some Great Lakes snowbelts could pick up a foot or more of snow through early Friday, including near and south of Buffalo, New York.
• E​xpect dangerous or impossible travel conditions because of the heavy snow and high winds east of lakes Erie and Ontario through early Friday.
• G​usty winds and colder temperatures will impact the rest of the Northeast on Thursday.

Chris Dolce has been a senior meteorologist with weather.com for over 10 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.