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Powerful Pre-Christmas Storm With Downpours, Gusty Winds Could Bring Up To 3 Inches Of Rainfall

A powerful storm will slam the area just as thousands hit the highways for pre-Christmas travel.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for the entire region from 1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21 until 1 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for the entire region from 1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21 until 1 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22.

Photo Credit: National Weather Service
Rain will arrive in the area Thursday night.

Rain will arrive in the area Thursday night.

Photo Credit: AccuWeather.com
The heaviest rain will be Friday morning.

The heaviest rain will be Friday morning.

Photo Credit: AccuWeather.com

Heavy rain, strong gusty winds, coastal flooding is expected from Thursday night through the day on Friday. 

Widespread 2 to 3 inches of rain is likely with locally higher amounts possible which can lead to flooding, according to the National Weather Service. Coastal flooding is also a threat.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect from 1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21 until 1 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22 for the entire region. (See first image above.)

A Wind Advisory is in effect for areas south of I-287 from 1 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. Winds of 20 to 35 mph will gust up to 45 mph. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for extreme southern parts of the area from 8 a.m. till 11 a.m. Friday.

 It will be too warm for any snow across the area.

The storm system arrives Thursday, Dec. 20, with rain at night, which will become heavy overnight and at times during the day on Friday. The overnight low temperature will be above 50 degrees.

Soaking rain, patchy fog and gusty winds are expected to cause airport delays on Friday, which will be warmer with a high in the mid-50s, with rain throughout the daylight hours followed by evening showers.

After a chance of morning showers on Saturday, Dec. 22, the rest of the day will be cloudy with the temperature falling to the low-40s.

Sunday, Dec. 23 will be mostly sunny with a high in the low-40s.

AAA estimates that a record-breaking 112.5 million travelers - more than a third of all Americans - are expected to visit family and friends for the holiday.

According to AAA, more Americans will travel by car this holiday season than ever before. An estimated 102 million people are expected to hit the road, a 4.4 percent increase from a year ago.

But motorists in much of the Midwest and Northeast, including in this region, will have to deal with slick roads, due to rain as well as fog and possible flooding.

Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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