Colder weather will descend on much of the East Coast late this week and a winter storm will bring both rain and snow that could reach as much as a foot at higher elevations in parts of the Northeast, forecasters said.

Temperatures across much of the eastern part of the country will drop from highs in the 60s and 70s on Wednesday to the 40s and 50s on Thursday, the weather service said. Even Florida and parts of the Southeast will feel a bit chilly: Temperatures 5 to 15 degrees below average could be felt through Friday, according to AccuWeather.

While rain is likely in the Northeast later Wednesday through Thursday, at least 4 inches of snow is likely in northeastern Pennsylvania and the southern Catskills of New York on Friday evening, the National Weather Service said.

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“Impact snowfall” will also reach the Allegheny Mountains at higher elevations in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, the weather service said. There the snow can reach up to 1 foot.

“Travel may be difficult. Roads, especially bridges and overpasses, are likely to become slippery and dangerous,” the weather service in Albany, New York, said as it issued a winter weather advisory between Thursday afternoon and early Saturday morning.

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The storm will bring some relief to an unusually dry spell for the region, from Virginia to New England. Red flag wildfire warnings have been issued there and New York City has issued a drought warning for the first time in more than two decades.

“Before snow falls, we will see much-needed rain that will help with the wildfires and drought,” said Bernie Rayno, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist.

Winter weather advisories were in effect Wednesday in areas of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina.

The Great Plains region is experiencing “near blizzard” conditions

Heavy snow and gusty winds created dangerous conditions in the central part of the country on Wednesday. “Near blizzard” conditions in the northern Plains are coming from a slow-moving low-pressure system near the Minnesota-North Dakota border, the weather service said.

Snowfall in the Dakotas and northwestern Minnesota could reach up to 4 inches. The high winds will be more widespread, reaching as far east as Montana and Nebraska. Wind gusts could top 60 miles per hour through Wednesday night before weakening and calming down Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest faces a dangerous ‘bomb cyclone’ and an atmospheric river.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Snow forecast: Widespread cold in the East, areas with ‘impactful snowfall’