PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A whiplash-inducing stretch of weather that was rainy, windy and potentially dangerous began on the U.S. East Coast on Wednesday, driven in part by an atmospheric river and a developing bomb cyclone.

Parts of Maine experienced freezing rain that caused vehicles to slide off the road, followed by a deluge of rain and unusually high temperatures – and the prospect of damaging winds – all on the same day, said Derek Schroeter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service . Some schools across New England were closed.

Heavy rain and strong winds will continue into Wednesday night, and flash flooding is a concern due to flooding and melting snow, forecasters said. Utilities were also preparing for possible power outages that could be caused by winds exceeding 60 mph (97 km/h).

One of the key factors in the weather is an atmospheric river, a long band of water vapor that can transport moisture from the tropics to more northern areas, said Schroeter, who is based in Gray, Maine. New England was expected to bear the brunt as the storm off the southeastern U.S. coast took moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and transported it to places like Maine, Schroeter said.

READ MORE: Heavy snow and bitter temperatures keep parts of US in deep freeze

Forecasters also said the storm had the potential to trigger a process meteorologists call bombogenesis, or “bomb cyclone.” This is the rapid intensification of a cyclone in a short period of time, which can bring heavy rainfall.

The storm began with a combination of fog and light freezing rain overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. Ice accumulated and travel became treacherous in parts of New England. A tractor-trailer carrying a load of oranges left the Maine Turnpike in New Gloucester; The road was so dangerous that the oranges could not be removed until a day later.

Parts of the Northeast were already preparing for bad weather.

In New Hampshire, the Mount Washington Avalanche Center issued a special bulletin Wednesday for the Presidential Range, which has experienced heavy snowfall over the past two weeks.

READ MORE: ‘Bomb Cyclone’ With Heavy Rain, Winds Threatens Northern California and Pacific Northwest

“Heavy rainfall could lead to dangerous and unpredictable avalanche conditions on steep, snow-covered slopes,” it said, leading to unsafe conditions at stream crossings, ski and hiking trails and bridges.

A flood watch for Vermont is in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.

The city of Montpelier, Vermont, advised residents to lift items in basements and low-lying areas prone to flooding. The city said Tuesday that it is in contact with the National Weather Service and Vermont Dam Safety and will “actively monitor river levels as this storm moves through.”

Ski resorts in the Northeast prepared visitors for a potentially chaotic day on Wednesday. Stratton Mountain Resort in southern Vermont posted on its website that guests “make sure to pack their Gore-Tex gear because it’s going to be wet.”