A cold front bringing severe weather to the Midwest and the Mississippi Valley Thursday will reach the East on Friday producing rain, and locally gusty thunderstorms.

While the intensity of the thunderstorms will depend to some extent on the timing, and on how warm locations become during the day. Most locations from Florida to Maine will get a period of drenching rain. Areas most likely to experience localized strong to severe thunderstorms will be generally near and south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Some locations can be hit by more than just a downpour and some lightning and thunder. A few places can have a severe thunderstorm that brings strong winds, torrential downpours and hail. As a result, there is the potential for downed trees, power outages and flash flooding in the vicinity of the storms.

The storms will be the remnants of a squall line affecting the Central states today into tonight. It will not be until the overnight and early Saturday morning hours before they reach the east coast of New England.

There is the potential for 1-2 inches of rain along a large part of the Atlantic Seaboard. Much cooler and drier air will sweep in over much of the Eastern states this weekend. Wet snowflakes could even mix in over the highest elevations of northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York Saturday. -SS