The powerful winter storm that buried the Midwest in snow and hammered much of the region with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes is weakening as it heads toward the East Coast, and forecasters say it's not expected to have much of a punch by the time it reaches the tri-state area this weekend.
Above-freezing temperatures mean precipitation will likely fall in the form of rain in New York City Saturday into Saturday evening. Some counties in New Jersey may be experiencing more of a wintry mix by Friday night.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, Somerset and Warren counties in New Jersey from 7 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday.
The freezing drizzle may linger into Saturday morning north and west of the city, and areas south and east of the city may see a snow flurry or two, but all precipitation is expected to change to rain quickly.
Forecasters say the rain will likely continue through Saturday afternoon and into the evening. Winds are expected to intensify Saturday night into Sunday with gusts reaching 20 to 30 mph.
Sunday is expected to be dry ahead of another coastal storm expected to sweep through the area Tuesday. Meteorologists say cities north of Boston could get walloped with the second big snowstorm this month, but New York is expected to see mostly rain.
Meteorologists say temperatures will linger in the mid-40s over the weekend and through early next week, give or take a few degrees.
Get all the latest weather forecasts from Storm Team 4 and track the storm with our interactive radar here.
