Severe thunderstorms are likely to rock New York and surrounding areas Friday ahead of clearer and warmer conditions in time for a “sensational” Memorial Day weekend, forecasters said.

The three-day holiday weekend marking the unofficial arrival of summer will get off to a wet start with showers and thunderstorms expected to douse New York City and areas west through eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey during the afternoon and evening rush hour, about 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Fox Weather meteorologist Geoff Bansen told The Post.

“The greatest threat is going west of the city,” Bansen said. “So, anyone traveling west can expect to run into a strong to severe thunderstorm.”

The system from the southwest is expected to weaken later Friday, but there’s a chance of lingering showers to stick around into Saturday afternoon — although it’ll be far from a washout, Bansen said.

“It’s looking like a really nice weekend outside of a few scattered pop-up thunderstorms in the afternoon tomorrow,” Bansen said.

Highs in the upper 70s are expected for Saturday and Sunday in New York before turning “much warmer” on Monday — with a high of around 89 in Central Park, Bansen said.

However, with dicey conditions expected Friday, travel for New Yorkers planning to flee the city for the long weekend could be affected.

There’s a slight threat of a tornado touching down west of the city, extending south through the I-95 corridor to Philadelphia. Damaging winds could make driving miserable, Bansen said.

“It certainly could impact travel for a lot of people,” he said. “So folks heading out of the city northwest or southwest will be driving into the direction of incoming storms. Driving in that will not be optimal.”

A flash flood watch has been issued for later Friday in areas south and west of New York City extending into western New Jersey, including Trenton, and into Pennsylvania and Maryland.

“Any of these storms are capable of producing tropical downpours and to flood out roadways, so travel impact is certainly possible,” Bansen said.

But anyone in the tri-state area with plans to head to the shore over the Memorial Day weekend will be pleasantly surprised with conditions, especially on Sunday.

“Sunday is the pick of the weekend,” Bansen said, thanks to clear skies and abundant sunshine that’ll send temps nearing 80 degrees. “It’s then back to a taste of summer on Monday — great for folks who want to head to the beach.”

Holiday travel throughout the US, meanwhile, is expected to be up this year, according to AAA figures. Some 39.2 million people are expected to venture 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day weekend. That’s an 8.3% jump from last year — and nearly matching figures from 2017.

Air travel also continues to bounce back, up 25% from 2021 — or the second-largest increase since 2010, according to AAA data.

John F. Kennedy International Airport is urging travelers this week to get to the gate early to beat the holiday rush.

“Budget extra travel time to ensure you have time to arrive at #JFK Airport, park in your reserved spot, check-in and get through security,” airport officials tweeted Tuesday.