Gusty Winds Headed to the New Hampshire, Maine Seacoast Wednesday Afternoon

A cold front will bring gusty winds and a period of heavy rai to the Seacoast for several hours late Wednesday afternoon.

A storm moving west of New England will bring a strong south wind with gusts of nearly 50 mph. The strongest winds eare xpected between approximately 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. as a cold front moves from west to east, according to meteorologist Mark Rosenthal.

"The storm is coming in at an inopportune time for the afternoon drive. You're going to have a burst of heavy rain and strong gusty winds. The saving grace is that it's not going to last that long," Rosenthal told Seacoast Current.

Behind the front, winds will gradually die down.

The National Weather Service issued a Marine Storm Warning along the immediate coast of New Hampshire and Maine,  which will be in effect between 1 p.m. and midnight. Seas of 8-13 feet will reduce visibility and could cause damage to vessels that venture out onto the ocean.

A Wind Advisory is in effect from 1 p.m. - 9 p.m., as the gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects and down tree limbs, which could cause power outages.

Eversource said its line and tree crews are positioned around New Hampshire to respond to outages, and urged customers to report any outages.

Central Maine Power urged customers to prepare for possible extended outages by preparing flashlight, candles, and matches as part of a storm kit. The utility also suggested that customers charge up their devices and fuel up ahead of the storm.

'Big shock' in temperatures coming

The front will usher in colder air for Thursday and Friday, with high temperatures around 40 degrees. Temperatures will only go down from there next week, according to Rosenthal.

"The weather pattern is totally going to flip. There's been so much cold air building up in Canada, and finally the hounds are going to be released into New England as an Arctic cold front passes. We're talking winter cold by mid-week and beyond. Big shock coming," Rosenthal said. "I think before the end of December we're going to see some snow."

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH