A stretch of potentially hazardous weather is expected to impact the New York metropolitan area beginning Thursday and continuing into Friday, bringing extreme heat, powerful thunderstorms and even the possibility of tornadoes.

“There is a chance that some of the thunderstorms, should they occur, could be on the stronger to severe side of things. Right now, damaging wind gusts of 58 to 70 miles per hour are possible,” Bryan Ramsey from the National Weather Service told the Gothamist. “In some of the storms, that could lead to damaged trees, downed power lines, scattered power outages.”

The severe weather outlook comes after a relatively mild Wednesday, when temperatures are expected to remain near 80 degrees with only a slight chance of scattered light rain, according to Ramsey.

Conditions are forecast to change dramatically on Thursday as temperatures climb above 90 degrees, with humidity making it feel even hotter than the actual air temperature.

“ We have a warm front coming through. That’s going to really increase the humidity outside, which is going to make it feel hotter,” Ramsey said. “ Anyone commuting in from New Jersey could even see heat index values approaching or exceeding 100 degrees.”

Meteorologists say the combination of intense heat and moisture will create favorable conditions for thunderstorms to develop and strengthen. However, forecasters are still uncertain about how the atmosphere will evolve. Potential impacts include localized flooding on roads, damaging winds capable of affecting power infrastructure, and even the chance for large hail or isolated tornadoes on Friday.

“Maybe we could see one, two tornadoes possible in some of these thunderstorms,” Ramsey said. “Whether that occurs in the city, it’s going to be really hard to say. But we are messaging that it’s a possibility.”

In response to the expected conditions, the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for New York City covering Thursday and Friday. Cooling centers will be available throughout the five boroughs, and city programs can assist eligible residents with obtaining air conditioners or fans.

The weather pattern is expected to improve by Saturday, with drier air and calmer skies moving into the region.

“Even though we stay hot, it does lower humidity, so we don’t have to worry about any dangerous heat indices this weekend,” Ramsey said.