A record number of travelers, including thousands of New Englanders, will be traversing the country headed to their Thanksgiving destinations. But whether they hit the road or take to the sky, wintry weather is making the rounds, threatening to complicate travel plans for many.
A few storm systems pushing through the nation this week could spur airport delays with rain, snow, and gusty conditions. Let’s take a look at how the holiday week will unfold across the country.
A cold front will extend from a Canadian system across parts of the Northeast and parallel the eastern seaboard to produce some light rainfall. Another system will start to come together out of the Rockies, bringing some pockets of rain and snow across popular travel spots.
Northeast
Major airport hubs of Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. should see periods of rain with gusty winds Tuesday as a front pushes through the region. Rainfall and wind speeds should be light enough with only limited impacts to travel.
Southeast
Staying mostly dry across the Southeast with a few light showers along a passing front across Atlanta and eventually to Miami. Not much of a weather impact is expected across this region on Tuesday outside of a couple of lackluster wind gusts.
Midwest/South
A pocket of high pressure builds extensively across the middle of the country. Temperatures will be running about 5 to 10 degrees below average but under bright and calm skies. Major airport hubs like Chicago, Dallas, and Houston should be operating smoothy in terms of weather.
West
A storm system will begin to materialize out of the Rockies and could unleash some rain, snow, and gusty wind across select travel hubs. Denver is the major hub at risk for seeing delays with spurts of heavy snow possible throughout the day Tuesday paired with gusty winds. Though Los Angelas and San Francisco may see showers, conditions should be calm enough to avoid weather-related disruptions.
During one of the busiest travel days of the week, the central part of the country will likely see the most active weather with both coasts seeing generally calm conditions. Snow may linger out in the west while a system ramps up rainfall across the Midwest and Ohio Valley.
Northeast
Staying dry with calm conditions as temperatures stay close to seasonable. Clear skies and and dry pavement should make traveling a little less stressful.
Southeast
Also staying quite calm for much of the day. Outside of a few clouds and sprinkles building later in the afternoon, the Mississippi Valley may see a few showers and thunderstorms pop up late. New Orleans and Atlanta may see a general thunderstorm after 8 p.m.
Midwest/South
Widespread light to steady rain is expected across the Midwest and Ohio Valley during most of the day Wednesday. Some gusty winds might be a factor as the storm system organizes further. Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and Nashville may see some decent rainfall, with totals ranging from a half inch to 1.5 inches. Heavy downpours could cause some delays.
West
Some lingering snow and rain showers across Denver and Salt Lake City with blustery conditions can keep airport delays elevated across those two hubs.
Thanksgiving
Much of the East is in line for messy weather from Maine to Florida. Possible thunderstorms to pop up across the Southeast with cold rain likely from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast and some snow pushing into the interior portions of New England. If you’re heading to I-95 anywhere on the East Coast, make sure to give yourself extra time because you’ll be facing wet roadways that could be slippery.
Northeast
Gusty winds and cold rain will likely impact the coastal airports of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., leading to possible multiple delays. Interior portions of the Northeast could see snow or a wintry mix with gusty winds that cause problems across Buffalo, Albany, Burlington, Vt., and possibly Pittsburgh.
Southeast
Rain and a few gusty winds could cause minor delays across Atlanta, Charlotte, New Orleans, Orlando, and Tampa. Rainfall should stay light enough where downpours shouldn’t be an issue.
Midwest
Storm mostly clearing out, but a few lake effect snow showers could fall across parts of the Midwest. Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit and Cleveland may see some blustery conditions that could lead to a handful of delays.
West
Essentially the entire western half of the country should see calm conditions on Thanksgiving Day. The Plains will see a decent drop in temperatures that will make it feel brisk.
Black Friday
Black Friday will be mostly calm outside of some lingering precipitation across the Great Lakes region and Northeast. A few snow showers may filter into the Northwest, as well, but should remain light enough to avoid major disruptions.
Northeast
The storm system pushing through the Northeast should be winding down but scattered rain and snow showers could linger on the backside of the storm. This could lead to a few weather-related delays in Buffalo, Boston, New York City, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. The precipitation won’t cause the delays, but rather unsettled wind gusts to 20 to 30 miles per hour.
Southeast
Bright and mostly calm across the Southeast. A few showers and general thunderstorms could linger across Tampa and Miami with a couple of delays possible, but everywhere else should be clear sailing.
Midwest
A larger circulation behind the storm will foster an environment for continual lake effect snow showers across the Great Lakes and Midwest. Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland will likely see blustery conditions with blasts of snow that can be disruptive to travel. I-90 might see a few trouble spots, so if you’re hitting the highway, make sure to give yourself some time.
West
Much of the western half of the country should stay calm on Black Friday. A few showers will filter into parts of Southern California that may bring a delay or two at LAX. A couple of snow showers could move into Seattle and Portland, but should stay light enough to not cause any travel delays.
Ken Mahan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.
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