Wet and windy weekend forecast along the East Coast

Soggy, windy conditions are expected to continue up and down the East Coast this weekend, forecasters say.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been posted for areas of central Florida and is in effect through 11 a.m. ET. In the Northeast, almost 20 million people are under flood watches.

The Storm Prediction Center warns that “a marginal tornado and wind-damage threat appear likely to continue through mid-morning across central Florida.” A handful of tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued throughout the early morning hours.

As the storm exits the Southeast on Saturday, winds will remain with gusts of 20 to 30 mph in the forecast. This system will continue to track up the East Coast, affecting the mid-Atlantic and Northeast throughout the day. Periods of heavy rain are expected from Washington to Portland, Maine, where the forecast calls for 2 to 4 inches of rain.

Snow is expected on the back side of this system for interior portions of the Northeast and downwind of the Great Lakes. Widespread snowfall totals of 3 to 6 inches are forecast, but isolated totals of 5 to 10 inches are possible.

As the center of the storm tracks into Canada on Saturday evening, the system is forecast to intensify and could “bomb out,” meaning a drop of 24 millibars (units of pressure) within 24 hours.

That means winds of 40 to 60 mph are forecast for some areas of the Northeast heading into Sunday.