MIDCOAST — The atmosphere is to get a little turbulent Friday, Dec. 21, just as the North Pole begins to tilt back toward the sun. The National Weather Service is predicting strong winds and rain beginning this evening, coming out of the south.

The fast-moving system will also bring warmer temperatures, with a high of 52 degrees forecast for Friday morning, as the last little bit of autumn descends toward winter. The solstice for latitude 44 is to occur at 5:23 p.m., when winter begins and the earth makes it shift.

According to the National Weather Service in Gray, high pressure will move offshore tonight, and the rain may begin as freezing rain inland.

“Rain will be heavy at times on Friday, and will lead to rising rivers and potential ice jams on rivers currently frozen,” the weather service said. “The storm system will be slow to move through the area, with showery weather hanging on into the first half of the weekend.”

The storm is getting energy from moisture over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, creating heavy rain that will cause flooding under certain circumstance.

“It would be a good idea to use today to make sure that drainage areas and storm drains are free of debris and ice to reduce the impact on Friday,” the weather service said.

Southerly winds are to gust more than 30 mph with some higher gusts up to 50 mph.

The firehose of moisture, as described by meteorologists, is to continue into Friday evening, when the lower level of the jet stream shifts offshore around midnight.

The forecast follows:

Friday: A 40 percent chance of rain after 3 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 36. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming southeast after midnight. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday night: Rain, mainly before 5 a.m. Low around 46. Breezy, with a south wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Saturday: A chance of rain before 7 a.m., then a chance of showers between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.