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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Rain and snow are in the forecast for the next few days, but the biggest worry might be high, gusting winds.</p><p>A National Weather Service forecast predicted that rain on Thursday will turn into snow on Friday afternoon, with as much as four inches falling before snow showers taper off around midnight.</p><p>The low temperature will be around 30, with a blustery north wind of about 17 to 22 mph, and gusts as high as 38 mph.</p><p>Northeastern Pennsylvania is not alone, as the weather system affecting the region is part of a larger winter storm expected to bring rain, high winds and potentially heavy snow to a broad swath of the East Coast and Great Lakes.</p><p>In parts of coastal New England, residents are piling up sandbags to protect their properties ahead of the storm, and in some communities officials on Thursday were calling for evacuations.</p><p>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, activated his state&#8217;s emergency management apparatus ahead of a storm that could bring heavy snow upstate and high winds downstate, leading to widespread power outages, the Associated Press reported.</p><p>Kurt Aaron, WNEP chief meteorologist, said while most people are focused on the snow, the worst part of the approaching &#8220;weather trifecta&#8221; for our region will be the rain and wind.</p><p>Aaron said between three quarters of an inch and an inch and a half of rain is expected to fall in a short period, causing some minor flooding in low areas and along streams. He said the Susquehanna River is expected to get to about 17 feet.</p><p>Aaron said the northern tier of the region could see much more snowfall. He said Luzerne County is looking at 1 to 4 inches. He said the snow shouldn&#8217;t hang around long &#8212; temperatures are expected to reach te mid-40s on Monday.</p><p>Aaron said the snow is expected to mix with rain, making it heavy. He said that, along with the winds, could affect power lines, resulting in outages.</p><p>&#8220;We could see steady wind speeds of 25 to 35 miles per hour, with gusts over 40 mph likely,&#8221; Aaron said.</p><p>Gary Ankner, store manager at Schiel&#8217;s Family Market in Parsons, said some staples &#8212; mostly milk, bread and eggs &#8212; started flying off the shelves Thursday afternoon in anticipation of the storm.</p><p>&#8220;It got a little busy around noon (Thursday), Ankner said. &#8220;We&#8217;ll probably see a rush when people get out of work.&#8221;</p><p>Meetings and events set for Friday already were being cancelled Thursday afternoon, so it may be a good idea to confirm any plans today before heading out the door, officials advise.</p><p>The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is alerting drivers that with significant snowfall in the forecast for areas of northeast Pennsylvania Friday, reminding them that they must lower their speeds and be alert for changing conditions.</p><p>The National weather Service said there is a slight chance of snow showers before 2 p.m. Saturday, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42; chance of precipitation is 20 percent. Saturday night, a slight chance of rain and snow showers before 8 p.m., mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.</p><p>Sunday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Sunday night, partly cloudy, with a low around 27.</p><p>Temperatures rise a bit on Monday, sunny, with a high near 46.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">People cross South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre on a rainy January day in this file photo. A powerful mix of rain and snow is expected over the coming days. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL010417feature2-cmyk-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>People cross South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre on a rainy January day in this file photo. A powerful mix of rain and snow is expected over the coming days. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader file </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Forecast: Amid snow, rain, wind could be biggest concern