Thanksgiving weather forecast: Snow set to slow Thanksgiving travel across U.S.
Snow and rain could snarl Thanksgiving travel in large portions of the U.S.
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Your support makes all the difference.Traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday could get a little dicey this year, with winter weather forecast to impact a wide swath of the U.S. during the next few days.
A record 80 million Americans are expected to hit the roads and and another 30 million in the skies over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, between today and and Monday, according to AAA.
They may have to contend with snow in the Midwest, thunderstorms along the Gulf Coast, more precipitation pounding an already-saturated West Coast and the possibility of “messy Thanksgiving travel” in the eastern U.S.
This unsettled weather is forecast before temperatures are projected to plummet during the last week of November and the first days of December.
Here’s a look at the holiday week weather forecast:
Today
An atmospheric river event is forecast in the West today, bringing even more impacts to southern and central California after a wet couple of weeks in the state.
The storm will also spread over the Great Basin and Central Rockies and could bring flash flooding to the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada. There, excessive rainfall may cause debris slides.
Significant snow of up to three feet is possible over the southern Sierra, the Central Rockies, and the Intermountain West.
This comes as rain and cold temperatures bore down on some East Coast cities. Temperatures were expected to be warmer than average across the eastern US throughout the day.
But, the National Weather Service said highs in the far Northern Plains would see below-average temperatures that were between 15 and 25 degrees from normal through Wednesday.
Wednesday
Snow is set to diminish over the Sierra on Wednesday as it continues to move east.
Showers are expected over the Rockies and snowfall is forecast in Idaho and Wyoming, AccuWeather said.
“One tricky travel area will be in and around the Denver area as snow spreads across the area on Wednesday, where 1-3 inches of snow is expected to fall,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Emma Belscher.
Several feet will still accumulate at California’s mountain peaks. Some snow could also move into Kansas on Wednesday afternoon.
The Southeast will see a clear day of travel before things change into Thursday.
The Great Lakes and northern New England could have snow showers.
Thursday
The weather will turn on Thursday, bringing some potentially severe thunderstorms across the Southeast.
Rain could cause ponding on roadways and lightning delays are possible at airports in cities from Houston to Atlanta, AccuWeather forecasters stated.
“Thunderstorms Wednesday night into Thursday across the South can spell trouble for any last-minute travelers as they can be accompanied by flooding downpours, damaging wind gusts and even isolated tornadoes,” warned Belscher.
To the north, the mid-Atlantic will have rain and snow in some areas. The western Great Lakes will continue to see snow showers and parts of the Upper Michigan Peninsula could see between four and eight inches by Thursday morning.
In the eastern U.S., FOX Weather said a Thanksgiving Day storm would cause last-minute travel troubles that “will likely last until Black Friday and the start of the weekend.”
Rain is forecast in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C..
All of this comes as the National Weather Service alerted Americans about a “significant arctic outbreak” that would arrive in the northern Rockies and Plains on Thanksgiving into Friday.
A record number of people will be traveling, AAA predicted. The group projects that a record 71.7 million will head out by car, 5.84 million will fly domestically, and close to 2.3 million are expected to travel by modes of transportation, including buses, cruises and trains.
The most weather-delayed airports during the holidays are San Francisco International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport, according to AccuWeather.
Friday
Significant delays are expected for people returning from the holiday.
FOX Weather said travelers should expect significant delays, with major airports likely to see cancellations and delays in the early morning.
Chilly air over the Great Lakes will bring lake-effect snow.
“Post-holiday travelers near the Great Lakes will not be in the clear as lake-effect snow will continue into the weekend,” Belscher said.
The arctic outbreak will move south and east through the Plains and Midwest this weekend.
“Dangerous wind chill temperatures are expected with a significant long duration lake effect snow event possible downwind of the Great Lakes,” the National Weather Service said.
The National Retail Foundation also expects a record number of in-store and online shoppers from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. This year should see 183.4 million, up from 182 million last year.
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