A rapidly intensifying storm system will worsen travel disruptions across the Northeast over the next two days, with heavy rains and gusty winds impacting the Interstate 95 corridor while snow accumulates inland, making travel around the Great Lakes dangerous.

The system began producing showers and thunderstorms across the South on Tuesday, but the heaviest impact days are expected to be Wednesday and Thursday.

Forecast models show widespread amounts of 1 to 3 inches of rain extending from the Appalachians to the Northeast, with larger amounts locally.

Heavy rain areas include Boston, New York City and Baltimore, where some airport delays have already been reported due to the adverse weather.

For much of the Northeast, the rainfall is welcome news as drought conditions can range from moderate to extreme. However, due to the expected rate of precipitation, flooding is to be expected.

Flood warnings have been issued for more than 4 million residents in the Northeast as the combination of rain and snowmelt could be problematic for some communities in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

While further south across North Carolina and Virginia there will be enough instability for severe thunderstorms to occur.

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Strong winds and pouring rain will blow in the northeast

The epicenter for most of the dangerous weather events will be in the Northeast, where heavy rain, inland snow and gusty winds are expected for most of Wednesday and into early Thursday.

A stream of moisture is expected to lead to large-scale precipitation amounts of 2.5 to 10 cm, and locally larger amounts.

Additionally, a strong pressure gradient along the coast will trigger near-hurricane-force winds.

Wind gusts of 40-60 mph could be problematic between New York City and Boston.

The FOX Forecast Center warns that damaging winds could knock down trees and power lines, leading to power outages.

Many poorly secured Christmas decorations are no match for Mother Nature.

The experts at Christmas Central have several tips to keep the inflatable decorations from flying away.

The company suggests using stakes, sandbags and even twine to prevent the wind from becoming the Grinch of the season.

If you want guaranteed success, you may need to temporarily fold up the Christmas decorations and store them until the threat of severe weather has passed.

Most major airports in the Northeast reported delays of between 30 minutes and an hour on Tuesday, which are expected to be significant on Wednesday and into Thursday morning.

Most of the dangerous weather is expected to be gone from the region by midday Thursday, leaving a cool air mass to contend with for the remaining days of the work week.

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Severe storms possible in the Mid-Atlantic

Isolated severe thunderstorms are possible across eastern Virginia and North Carolina on Wednesday as a cold front moves eastward across the region.

Air temperatures in the 60s and 70s, combined with dew points in the 60s, are expected to create enough instability to create the threat of damaging winds and tornadoes.

Although most thunderstorms are expected to remain below severe weather criteria, there is still a risk that they could produce torrential rain and lightning.

Due to the low rainfall in the region, widespread flooding is not expected; However, localized problems could occur in areas with poor drainage or altered terrain during the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

The bad weather is expected to move away from the coast by sunrise on Thursday, leaving brisk but cooler conditions in its wake.

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Lake effect snow returns to the forecast for the Great Lakes

The combination of cold air mass and flow off the Great Lakes is expected to reactivate the lake effect snow machine Wednesday through Friday.

Communities east of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan are expected to see at least 10 to 20 inches of snowfall, resulting in lake effect snow warnings for nearly 2 million residents.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service warn that travel will be difficult Thursday into Friday as blowing snow severely reduces visibility.

Interstates 90 and 81 are the primary areas expected to receive significant snowfall, which could impact travel.

Significant warming over the weekend and into next week will bring the snow machine to a halt and lead to rapid melting of the snow, which could lead to flooding problems in the medium and long term.