Storm threatens Christmas travel: East Coast braces for deluge as two major storms systems are set to merge - and Texas could be hit by SNOW

The East Coast is bracing for a messy, wet weekend as two storm systems are expected to merge and move up the coast ahead of frenzied holiday travel. 

The storms ramping up this week will impact millions of people in at least 20 states, potentially disturbing holiday travel plans, according to Fox Forecast center.

Those hoping for a white Christmas, however, are out of luck as anticipation for snowstorms continue to dwindle. 

Texas could see rain and snow over the weekend and leading into next week, bringing gusty winds as a low-pressure storm rolls into Florida. 

'If those two phases together, then you're talking a much stronger system that is going to continue to kind of get shifted up in the jet stream, move up the coastline,' FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar said. 'The placement of that low is going to be one thing for us to watch very closely.' 

Major cities including Boston, New York, Washington and Philadelphia, could see up to three inches of rain. 

'Timing is everything,' FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera said about the incoming New York storm. 'When you're talking about Sunday, Monday, this is when we're watching all of this energy coming together.'

The storm will glide up along the Interstate 95 corridor, causing potential damage along the way. 

'This is really one of those systems that is going to produce a whole lot of rain up and down the I-95 corridor,' Herrera added. 'You're talking rain, more of it, from Florida clear up into New England.'

The storm will then spread through the Plains states and Midwest, sweeping across the Gulf of Mexico, bringing heavy rain, flash floods and gusty winds. 

There is potential for snowfall in the higher terrain of the interior Northeast. 

Major delays can be expected starting Saturday morning, on the road and at airports. 

'It's a stretch that is so popular for driving,' FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said.

'I mean, the 95 corridor on any weekend can get slammed. But you put in the fact that next week is the last full week before Christmas, and also we're finishing up Hanukkah. You know, it's going to be a lot of people that are trying to drive up and down the East Coast.'

Rain combined with wins and cloudy skies may interfere with airport arrivals and departures, causing delays and disruptions. 

'We will easily have wind gusts that are 40, 45 mph, depending on the position of the low,' Merwin added. 'That could actually increase the wind in the forecast. That's probably the most volatile variable in this when it comes to placement – depending on where the low is over land or over the water.'

Last week, a tornado ripped through an Irish town as Storm Fergus hammered the island.

Footage shared on X showed the possible tornado making its way past anchored boats and causing flashes of blue light. Several pieces of debris can be seen getting thrown around due to the heavy winds.

Emergency services were called to Leitrim Village on Sunday afternoon after high winds flattened trees, ripped a roof off a building and left debris scattered on a street.

Met Eireann meteorologist Liz Walsh said reports of a tornado in the area were 'possibly correct' or 'certainly some very high winds associated with the thunderstorm'.

She said the forecaster was relying on social media reports and videos to say for certain if it was a tornado.