Holiday travel Friday: Storms, wind and fire danger slam US coast to coast

(NEW YORK) — Traveling for the holidays Friday may be turbulent, as gusts and widespread rain move into the Northeast, fire warnings persist in the West and storms linger on the West Coast until the end of the year.

Here is a look at the weather forecast for Friday.

Rain and wind in the Northeast

As a large cross-country storm moves east, the system is moving through over the northern Great Lakes region and stretching down to the Southeast where wind gusts could reach 60 mph in some areas.

Areas across Appalachia, New England and coastal Maine will be affected by the strongest gusts, while rain and wind will persist from D.C. to Boston until the evening.

In the Northeast, airport delays are possible due to the inclement weather, as lake-effect snow will begin in the region before things start drying out in the evening.

The weekend will be milder with the exception of some lingering gusts and snow around the Great Lakes region.

Fire danger out West

Parts of Colorado and Wyoming are experiencing extreme and dangerous fire weather Friday, as dry and windy conditions persist across the Rockies.

In particular, the area around Denver is under a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Red Flag Warning for winds between 45-55 mph and gusts up to 80-110 mph, making conditions extremely favorable for rapid fire spread.

Parts of the Texas panhandle, west-central Nebraska and other parts of Colorado and Wyoming are also under Red Flag Warnings for fire, as wind gusts may reach up to 50 mph with the dry conditions out West.

Power outages persist in Colorado for at least 100,000 people due to wild fire risk.

Rain, snow and wind on the West Coast

Rain, wind and some snow will rock the Northwest Friday, as a lingering system on the West Coast starts to shift south, dropping an additional 1 to 4 inches of rain across western Oregon, southwest Washington and northwest California.

A Flood Watch remains in effect across coastal Oregon and Washington until 4 a.m. Saturday, as rivers and streams will continue to rise to potentially record levels.

Some mountain resorts in California, such as Boreal Mountain and Soda Springs Mountain Resort, have paused operations into next week due to the weather and will reopen when weather permits.

“While it’s never easy to pause early in the season, this storm is expected to help build our snowpack and set us up for an exciting stretch of winter riding ahead,” the Boreal Mountain resort wrote in a Facebook post. “Our teams will be working throughout the storm to protect terrain and prepare for reopening as soon as conditions allow.”

Over the weekend, 2 to 6 more inches of rain will hit Washington down to California, and a coastal storm will gift nearly all of the West Coast with rain and wind for Christmas.

The holiday week will be much mild and warmer for the rest of the country.

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