NYC Weather: Floods, Gridlock And Travel Hell As Storm Hits

NEW YORK, NY – The darkest day of the year will be a soggy, windy mess with traffic gridlocked and airport delays creating a holiday hell as thousands of travelers try to get out of town.

Forecasters are warning that up to two inches of rain will fall on the city Friday. A flood watch has been put in place until late Friday night, coupled with a wind advisory as gusts of up to 50 mph are expected.

"Strong winds may blow down limbs, trees and power lines," the National Weather Service warned. "Unsecured holiday decorations may be damaged or blown away. Scattered power outages are expected."

Friday was predicted to be one of the heaviest days of the year for travel as people head off for their Christmas plans. Significant delays were being reported at area airports early Friday.

"Due to weather/wind, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving John F Kennedy International Airport, New York, NY (JFK). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 1 hour and 55 minutes," the Federal Aviation Administration warned. The situation was similar at LaGuardia and Newark.

It was also a gridlock alert day in New York City, meaning the roads were expected to be particularly badly clogged even before the rain was forecast.

Friday is the Winter Solstice, meaning it's the darkest day of the year.

Here's the forecast in detail, courtesy of the National Weather:

Friday
Rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Patchy fog. Temperature falling to around 57 by 4pm. Windy, with a south wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 14 to 19 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Friday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 46. South wind 11 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Saturday
Partly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 43 by 5pm. West wind 13 to 17 mph.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. West wind 7 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.

Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.

Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Christmas Day
Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.

Lead image by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images