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.

Storm sweeps through the Great Lakes Thursday

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.

Friday washout for Northeast

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 and New York City.

Severe storms could develop across the Mid-Atlantic and New York’s Catskills and Hudson Valley regions in the afternoon. A Level 2 severe thunderstorm risk covers parts of eastern Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and New Jersey along the Pennsylvania border.

Damaging wind gusts will be the main threat, but a tornado or two is possible.

Even heavier downpours are expected for the Friday evening commute, with up to an inch of rain falling north of the Interstate 90 corridor through Friday night.

The storm is expected to wind down late Friday.

Weekend fall chill

Behind the storm, the coldest air of the season will quickly spread, abruptly ending the record-setting heat across much of the eastern U.S. this week.

Interior valleys in Pennsylvania, as well as parts of Upstate New York and Northern New England, could see morning lows this weekend drop into the upper 20s and low 30s.

Higher elevations in the Adirondacks, Green Mountains, and White Mountains could see 1-3 inches of snow by Saturday night.

Meanwhile, parts of the Ohio Valley, Northern New Jersey, and New York’s Hudson Valley could see their first frost of the season.

Breezy conditions will remain through Saturday.