Get ready for a wild day of weather Friday, starting with warmth, wind and wet roads and ending with more of a brisk, wintry feel. A potent low pressure system traversing the Northeast region is the culprit. You’ll wake up to temperatures well into the 50s, rain and a strong south wind gust ing over 40 miles per hour. You might even hear some thunder around the morning commute time. Thankfully, severe weather is not in the cards for us. Rain will continue on-and-off through lunch time before exiting the region. Most areas will get under 2 inches of rain total. Flooding from excessive rain shouldn’t be a problem, although ponding on low-lying roads will slow you down in the morning. A wind advisory is in place for the entire tri-state area for gusts expected to reach 50 miles per hour or even higher at times. In the morning, the wind will be out of the south, which will make the mid-morning high tide a problem for New York City, Long Island, and the Connecticut coast. The onshore wind will pile water up on shore, resulting in minor flooding with as much as 2.5 feet of inundation possible in some low-lying areas at high tide. By late afternoon, the wind will shift to a westerly flow, with gusts remaining over 40 miles per hour in many places. The west wind will bring in much colder air. Temperatures will be in the 30s by 7 p.m., with wind chill values well below that. That’s quite a change from the near-60 degree morning temperatures. The cold air will stay in place for the first half of the weekend, too. Highs on Saturday will be in the 30s, with only a slight warm-up on Sunday. ...read more read less