Potential nor'easter may bring rain, snow and strong winds to Northeast later this week

A low-pressure system moving across the Midwest on Wednesday is expected to strengthen as it enters the Ohio Valley, bringing rain from Georgia to Michigan. By Thursday night, another low may form off the Eastern Seaboard, where rain could mix with wet snow over parts of the interior Northeast.

A deep trough in the jet stream is projected to carve across the East, causing daytime highs to drop about 20 degrees from Wednesday to Friday from Chicago to Atlanta, while lows could fall into the 30s as far south as the Florida Panhandle by the weekend.

Model guidance diverges on the storm's exact track. Some forecasts keep the low close to the coast, raising the risk of strong wind gusts and coastal flooding at high tide from the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina to New England, along with heavier precipitation. Other models place the system farther offshore, suggesting lighter rain, inland snow and less intense coastal winds, though some flooding risk remains.

The greatest snow accumulation chances are expected from the mountains of northern New England through upstate New York and the Appalachians, while the I-95 corridor is likely to see rain as temperatures stay above freezing. Lake-effect bands may produce wet snow along the Great Lakes as cold air moves over relatively warm water, potentially marking the first seasonal snow for some areas.

Forecasters note that the scenario remains uncertain and may change as models converge over the next day.