Weather

A powerful nor’easter will bring high winds; above-normal tides; coastal, urban and small-stream flooding; beach erosion; and highway-covering snow on Friday to the Northeast. Widespread downed trees and power failures are expected, because of the saturated ground and the strength of the wind. The snow may fall at a fast enough pace to strand motorists on highways from the lower Great Lakes to close to the upper Mid-Atlantic Coast. Sea levels up to 30 feet just offshore will produce dangerous conditions for vessels not protected by intracoastal waterways. The combination of pounding waves and a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet may result in significant damage to shore communities, especially in eastern New England.

Much cooler air is expected to move from the southern Appalachians to Florida, with gusty winds. This will end a month of record-breaking heat in Florida. Much of the Mississippi Valley, the Plains and the southern Rockies will be sunny.

A powerful storm will bring drenching rain, heavy mountain snow and gusty winds to the Pacific Coast, with heavy snow inland to the northern Rockies. While the rain and snow will help alleviate drought conditions, flooding and mudslides are expected, and heavy snow in the mountains may close some passes.

FOCUS: Major East Coast Storm

A storm will rapidly strengthen just off the Northeast coast Friday, bringing heavy rain and snow to the region. Winds may gust to hurricane force across southeastern New England, which will result in power failures and coastal flooding.