Damaging Wind Potential New York City Friday

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

December 20,2012; 6:49PM,EST

While a storm will hit the Midwest the hardest with a blizzard and freeze-up, high winds will reach the East Coast and the New York City area Friday.

The area from the mid-Atlantic coast to southeastern New England will briefly break into the storm's warm zone late Thursday night into Friday.
As this happens, winds from the south and southeast can gust between 50 and 60 mph.
Winds this strong can knock down tree limbs, weakened trees and power lines, as well as send unsecured items airborne. The strong winds can catch some motorists and pedestrians off guard.

It is possible the winds could disturb some repair work being done in the wake of Sandy.
The timing for the high winds is very late tonight along the Delmarva coast and first thing Friday morning around New York City and Long Island. High winds will then progress northeastward over New England during the midday.
Winds will bring a slight rise in ocean water levels. However, the winds are not expected to blow onshore long enough to cause serious coastal flooding issues.
A second and longer-lasting blast of wind will follow later Friday into Saturday as colder air sweeps in from the west and northwest.

The winds are likely to result in flight delays in the region from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston into the weekend. High winds will also linger over the Midwest through Friday.

The cold flow will set up heavy lake-effect snow downwind of the Great Lakes, all the way to the west-facing slopes of the West Virginia and North Carolina mountains.