Red Alert: Winter storm threatens holiday travel; Frigid temperatures for Christmas

Red Alert: Thursday p.m. into Saturday a.m. for 1-2.5" of rain, a little tail-end snow, 35-55 mph winds, 2-4' coastal flooding and a sharp drop in temperatures.

Forecast: Wednesday will remain dry and quiet with highs around 40. We'll see increasing clouds tonight with lows in the 30s. Then our next system impacts the area Thursday through Friday. 

At this point, it looks like rain develops the second half of Thursday, perhaps a little snow well north and west of New York City, with pockets of heavy rain possible Thursday night through at least the first half of Friday. Some snow is likely on the back side of the system as it exits. 

Regarding the winds, they'll ramp up Thursday night, but it will remain gusty on Friday, and wind advisories may need to be issued. Minor to locally major coastal flooding is expected Friday morning, so this will need to be monitored, as well. In addition to all of this, temperatures will fall off very sharply on Friday -- 50s in the morning, then single digit wind chills by the evening.  

Looking Ahead: The coldest air mass of the season settles in for the holiday weekend. Single digit and sub-zero wind chills will be common both mornings, then single digits and teens in the afternoon. In fact, this could be the city's coldest Christmas in about a decade -- maybe longer. 

Be prepared before the storm: Our Winter Storm Survival Guide has information about how to protect yourself, your pets and your property in the event of a storm. 

CLICK HERE for everything from travel delays to power outages and more.