2 to 4 inches of wind-driven rain to fall across the state

A heavy rain and wind storm is forecast to drop 2 to 4 inches of rain across Connecticut, with the heaviest precipitation expected overnight Thursday into Friday morning.

The National Weather Service said the heaviest rain would fall from around 11 p.m. Thursday through 11 a.m. Friday — give or take a few hours pending any changes to the storm.

Winds are expected to rip across the tri-state area, causing possible damage to trees, power lines and property, the National Weather Service said. The winds were expected to hit Thursday night into Friday morning.

A high-wind warning — initially issued for coastal Connecticut, Middlesex, New London, Tolland and Windham counties — was expanded Thursday to include the entire state.

Ahead of the storm, United Illuminating issued a statement that indicated the utility company is monitoring forecasts and making preparations for the storm. The company said it will have line and tree crews on standby to restore any outages that might pop up overnight.

“While our hope is that this storm passes without impact, the weather takes no holidays, and we are ready to serve our customers 365 days a year,” said a statement from UI President Frank Reynolds.

Eversource said it will position line and tree crews across the state to respond to any outages or damages caused by the storm.

“We recognize the last thing anyone wants is another storm, especially on Christmas,” said a statement from Craig Hallstrom, president of regional electric operations for Eversource. “We’re taking all necessary actions now — including canceling employee vacations and working to secure out-of-state crews — so our team is ready to respond to whatever this storm may bring.”

There is the potential for coastal flooding between roughly 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Friday. The weather service said the storm will bring storm conditions to coastal waters Thursday night into Friday morning, with the potential of minor coastal flooding.

The weather service indicated wind gusts are expected to reach up to about 65 mph Thursday night into Friday morning.

The rain is forecast to taper off before about 1 p.m. Christmas Day, with a chance of showers in some areas after that. Temperatures are expected to fall to about 42 degrees by late Friday afternoon, with a breezy wind bringing gusts up to 40 mph.

There is a “slight chance” of rain and snow showers Friday night before about 9 p.m., then a slight chance of snow showers until midnight Saturday. The temperature will drop to the low 20s, with wind-chill values between 15 and 20 degrees.