CNN
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A widespread storm fueled by an atmospheric river flooded the entire East Coast with heavy rains and strong winds on Wednesday.

The storm’s worst mix of heavy rain and strong winds made for a treacherous journey and a miserable day in the Northeast. During the afternoon and evening, wind gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour threatened to knock out power across the region, including in New York City and Boston.

“Damaging winds could knock down trees and power lines. Large-scale power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles, such as buses and trucks, the National Weather Service office in Boston warned.

According to poweroutage.us, more than 80,000 homes and businesses on the East Coast lost power as of Wednesday evening – including about 44,000 in Maine and 13,000 in Massachusetts.

The atmospheric river feeding the system taps the warm tropical ocean off the coast of the Southeast to produce moisture levels rarely found in the Northeast outside tropical systems, leading to faster precipitation rates and the threat of flash flooding.

Experts expect this to be the wettest system in the Northeast since December last year, when widespread flooding killed several people and caused significant damage to roads in Maine.

This will be the first significant rain event for much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast since August. So while the atmosphere is laden with potential flooding, ongoing drought conditions in the region, including extreme drought conditions in New Jersey, are expected to limit the spread of flooding.

“The primary concerns will be urban flooding and poor drainage, as well as road congestion,” said forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

The drought follows a record warm and dry autumn that extended into the winter. Philadelphia has not recorded more than an inch of rain in a day since August 6th. The last time there was 2 inches of rain in New York City’s Central Park was August 18th.

Still, the storm could dump a lot of rain, and quickly. There is a Level 2 out of 4 risk of flooding rain from Long Island, New York, north to Maine, with more than 1.5 inches of rain expected for much of the East Coast and isolated areas of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Rapid snowmelt in inland areas of New England could increase the threat of localized flash flooding, particularly near smaller streams and low-lying areas.

“Rivers across New England are fortunate to be able to sustain a decent boost of moisture following a very dry fall, so the likelihood of significant flooding is currently lower than normal,” the Weather Prediction Center adds.

Areas outside the Northeast may not see quite as much precipitation, but parts of the Mid-Atlantic could see some severe thunderstorms on Wednesday.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, there is a risk of severe storms of Level 2 out of 5 from eastern North Carolina north along the immediate coast to southern New England. Damaging wind gusts are the main threat from any thunderstorm, but a few tornadoes are also possible, particularly east of North Carolina.

Behind this storm, another blast of arctic air will arrive, dropping temperatures back below normal.

Much of the northern Plains and Midwest will experience subzero wind chills through Wednesday morning. This will trigger the snow effect again in the Great Lakes by midweek, and 1 to 2 feet of snow is possible off Lakes Erie and Ontario by the end of the week.

CNN meteorologist Mary Gilbert contributed to this report.