Travel trouble trio: A sprawling Thanksgiving storm, Arctic cold and lake-effect snow could cause issues
CNN
By Mary Gilbert, CNN Meteorologist
(CNN) — Mother Nature is about to serve up some unappetizing conditions for the millions of Thanksgiving travelers: sloppy weather, snow, the coldest temperatures since February and a potentially disruptive storm are on the way through the holiday weekend.
Here’s a day-by-day look at what to expect this week.
Tuesday
A quick-moving storm moving through New England in the afternoon will push out of the area overnight. A few slick spots are possible in elevated areas where snow briefly mixes in.
Travel issues have not been widespread, but Boston Logan International Airport experienced some delays in the afternoon due to low clouds. Similar delays are possible for airports in the greater New York City area.
High pressure will continue to keep the central US free of any hazardous travel weather.
The second atmospheric river-fueled storm over the last week is impacting parts of the West. High-elevation snow is burying areas from California’s Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Rockies while some rain falls at lower elevations.
Conditions will ease throughout the day for California and Nevada but sloppy weather will persist farther east, especially in Utah and Colorado.
Wednesday
Dry, calm and largely sunny weather will shift into the East for last-minute travelers during the day.
A storm will start to organize in the afternoon over the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley after a dry start to the day in the central US. This storm will spread rain from the center of the country to the Appalachians overnight.
Rain could mix with snow for a time in the evening from Illinois into northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. This would create slick conditions for any early morning travelers on Thanksgiving.
Much of the West will dry out as the atmospheric river-fueled storm dissipates late in the day, with Colorado and northern New Mexico the exceptions.
One to 2 feet of snow could pile up by the end of the day in the higher elevations of Utah and western Colorado, with up to 3 feet in the highest peaks. Most of the snow will remain west of Denver.
Thursday
Much of the US will be dry but cold on Thanksgiving day with the exception of the East.
Dreary weather will extend from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast as the storm that formed late Wednesday pushes east.
Forecast confidence in the storm’s strength and track has increased after two separate scenarios were possible Monday.
“I think Thursday is going to be our messiest day,” CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa said Tuesday afternoon. “A lot of us will be looking at some soggy turkeys for Thanksgiving” with travel issues along much of the East Coast.
A moderate storm will track from the central Appalachians in the morning and reach the southern coast of New England by the afternoon. It’ll spread rain and breezy conditions over the Eastern Seaboard along the way.
Rain won’t be heavy enough to produce flooding but could lead to poor visibility at times for anyone traveling on the road. Many areas from the Gulf Coast through New England will pick up less than an inch of rain.
Dreary weather with low clouds could cause issues at times for Eastern Seaboard airports.
Wet, sloppy snow will fall in the Northeast’s highest elevations Thursday. A few inches could pile up by late Thursday night in northern New York and New England.
Friday and the weekend
Dry but frigid conditions will build over the US.
Morning low temperatures for millions will be the coldest that they’ve been in the better part of a year. High temperatures will top out at late December or January-like levels.
The Thanksgiving day storm will largely be out of the East by sunrise but lake-effect snow will start up for areas downwind of the Great Lakes as Arctic air rushes over the record-warm lakes.
Feet of snow could pile up in some locations over the course of a few days as it continues to fall into next week.
Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph will make it quite breezy across the Midwest through much of Friday. These gusts could cause issues for busy airports in the region.
The National Weather Service said weather disruptions to highway travel are likely Friday through Monday on Interstate 90 between Cleveland and Buffalo and Interstate 81 north of Syracuse due to lake-effect snow.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible in the hardest hit areas,” the weather service said. “Forecast accumulations will become more clear as the event approaches.”
Coldest air since last winter incoming
A widespread blast of cold, Arctic air is looming for a huge part of the US. Chilly air will start to filter into the northern states early this week before a significant push of winterlike air becomes widespread Thursday.
Chicago will struggle to reach the mid-30s on Thanksgiving Day — a temperature more appropriate for late December. Parts of North Dakota will barely reach the teens and will feel more like January.
Millions from coast to coast will be frigid by Friday. Low temperatures early Friday morning will plummet below zero in the Dakotas and drop to the teens and single digits in much of the north-central US.
High temperatures as far south as the Gulf Coast will likely be 10 or more degrees below normal and some locations might not reach the 60s.
Many locales in the central and eastern US will experience their coldest conditions so far this season over the weekend.
Philadelphia hasn’t recorded a high in the 30s since February but could come close both Saturday and Sunday. The same can be said of New York City.
Cold air will stick around for much of the East as the calendar flips to December and could last through the first week of the new month, according to forecasts from the Climate Prediction Center.
CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward contributed to this report.
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