First Alert Weather: Timeline of storm that might snarl your Christmas travel plans

The First Alert Weather team has declared a Red Alert for Thursday into Friday due to rain, some snow, strong winds and coastal flooding.

Here's a timeline of what to expect: 

Thursday afternoon: Rain eases its way into the area, but it should be manageable for the most part. 

Thursday evening/overnight: Pockets of moderate to heavy rain, with a stiff wind streaming in off the ocean. It's not out of the question some of this rain could linger into at least the start of the Friday morning commute. 

Friday morning/midday: Rain will continue to push through, potentially wrapping up as snow inland into the afternoon before we see our winds peak with the passage of the cold front. 

At this point, 40-50+ mph gusts seem reasonable, though we could see higher gusts east of the city. All the while, temperatures will be falling off sharply, from 50s around lunchtime with wind chills in the teens by the evening. 

Friday night: The worst of the winds are behind us, but by that point the damage is done with frigid air settling in nicely. Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing over the holiday weekend, and when you factor in the wind, it will never feel much better than the teens.