Tracking Wednesday night rain, high winds Thursday

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A rough round of activity is ahead over the next 36 hours as we track widespread rain tonight and potent winds Thursday.

High Wind Warnings are set to go into effect from 7 AM – 7 PM EST Thursday for areas along and north of interstate 70. Wind advisories will be in place for the remainder of Indiana for much of Thursday.

Wednesday night: Have the rain gear on hand if you’re heading out tonight as widespread rain will move in. Rain will be heavy at times, and isolated thunderstorms are also possible.

There is even the chance for isolated strong to severe storms during the overnight hours. Damaging winds will be the main concern.

Temperatures will only go up overnight with numbers in the upper 50s by daybreak Thursday.

Thursday: We will wake up to damp and windy conditions. Winds are set to turn very strong for a good chunk of our Thursday with sustained winds of 25-35 MPH and gusts up to 50-60 MPH. Power outages and tree damage will be possible. Travel will also be difficult during the day, especially for those in high profile vehicles.

Isolated strong to severe storm chances will persist through the remainder of Thursday morning. Damaging winds will continue to be the primary threat.

In terms of rainfall, by Thursday afternoon, many areas in central Indiana look to see up to an inch of rain with locally higher amounts possible in west central Indiana.

We’ll start our Thursday near or just above 60° before temperatures drop into the 30s and 40s by sunset.

Friday: Thursday’s system will lead way to a colder Friday overall. There could be spotty showers Friday afternoon, but precip chances have downtrended a bit. Winds will thankfully be a lot lighter and not breezy. Highs, however, will only creep into the low 40s.

8-Day Forecast: Even colder air settles in for Saturday with highs only in the upper 30s. This cold air will be very short lived as we make a quick bounce back into the 50s by next Monday. Additional rain chances will slide in by next Tuesday and Wednesday with highs staying above average.