After a few days’ respite, bitter Arctic cold will spread across much of the north-central US on Wednesday, while the East Coast will experience heavy rain and thunderstorms from a strong storm.

Arctic air will blow across the Midwest, with chilly subzero temperatures and strong northwest winds, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

“Although record-breaking temperatures are not expected from this Arctic outbreak, temperatures on Wednesday will be well below average across the northern Plains and into the upper Mississippi Valley,” the National Weather Service said in an online forecast. “These well below average temperatures will then move into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley region on Thursday.”

Fortunately, this round of Arctic air is expected to be short-lived: Cold air is expected to ease by the weekend, and temperatures could rise above average early next week, according to AccuWeather.

Arctic explosion is coming

A cold front will sweep across the East Coast Wednesday through Thursday, bringing in much colder air from the north and northwest in its wake. This Arctic blast will expand eastward across the Great Lakes, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, the weather service said.

“High temperatures will be about 10 to 30 degrees below normal over the next few days,” National Weather Service forecaster Mark Miller said in an online forecast. “The cold post-frontal air mass will also help convert rain to snow on the western slopes of the Appalachians and inland New England and the Northeast, with at least modest accumulations appearing to be a good bet,” he said.

Big storm on the east coast

Rain and thunderstorms will continue to spread rapidly across the East Coast on Wednesday, causing a period of widespread heavy rainfall from the central to eastern Gulf Coasts, the Southeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Northeast and New England, the weather service predicted.

“Those with travel plans on the ground or in the air can expect significant delays Wednesday into early Thursday as a storm sweeps from the Gulf of Mexico north to Quebec, Canada,” Sosnowski said.

With many of these areas experiencing moderate to extreme drought, this rainfall will be beneficial. However, given the possibility of short-term heavy rains, there is a risk of localized flash flooding, particularly in more urbanized regions, the weather service said.

Lake effect snow is increasing

Another round of significant lake-effect snow is expected downwind of the Great Lakes Wednesday through Thursday. Arctic air will move over the still relatively warm Great Lakes and ignite bands of intense lake-effect snow, first downwind of the Superior Lakes and Lake Michigan on Wednesday and then downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario from Wednesday night into early Thursday, Miller said.

As the snow tapers off Friday, snowfall amounts of 1 to 2 feet are likely in the preferred snow belt in portions of northwestern and western New York state, far northwestern Pennsylvania, far northeastern Ohio, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, according to the Weather Service covers the western portions of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Storms and cold hit eastern US. The weather forecast says it won’t last.