Powerful storm to slam the Northeast with rain, dangerous winds before first major fall freeze

A powerful storm system will sweep through the Great Lakes Thursday before soaking the Northeast with a Friday washout, bringing a nasty combination of rain and strong wind gusts.Behind the storm, the coldest temperatures of the season so far will spread across parts of the Northeast this weekend, potentially dusting higher elevations with their first snow of the season.The storm was initially forecast to “bomb out” off the New England coast on Friday, but the system is no longer expected to be quite strong enough to meet the definition of bombogenesis, which occurs when a non-tropical storm system’s pressure drops by at least 24 millibars within a 24-hour period. “The storm will come close, but won’t officially ‘bomb out,’” the FOX Forecast Center said.Regardless, the New England coast could still see wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph Friday, with peaks as high as 50 mph, in addition to potentially dangerous maritime conditions.The strongest wind gusts are expected farther north, near Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.The storm will sweep across parts of the Midwest and the Great Lakes through the day on 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.”Some places will see their first round of rain come in the form of severe weather beginning in the afternoon.NOAA has issued a Level 1 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms along a corridor stretching from St.Louis through central Illinois and central Indiana to Cleveland.Rain will arrive across the Northeast, including the I-95 corridor, by Friday morning, creating a slick morning commute.The storm will strengthen through the day with wind gusts between 25 and 40 mph expected across the region, including Boston a...