Overview
- National Weather Service advisories and warnings stretch across the Northeast as peak gusts of 50–60 mph target roughly 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., with locally higher speeds on ridges.
- Forecasters warn of scattered power outages and downed branches, and note restoration work may be slowed where gusts hold near or above 30 mph Thursday morning.
- Rain dominates in lower elevations while higher terrain sees a changeover to snow, with several inches in the mountains and up to around a foot possible on Mount Washington.
- Behind the front, colder northwest flow triggers lake‑effect rain and snow showers from the Great Lakes into western and upstate New York, with brief graupel possible in stronger bands.
- Models point to a more significant cold spell late this weekend into early next week, with the potential for first frosts or freezes in parts of the Southeast and light snow in the southern Appalachians.