Thanksgiving travel delays are possible as winter storms hit the US

On By Littum

A powerful winter storm is set to blast parts of the US with heavy snow, cold temperatures, high winds and rain, just as millions of people across the country prepare to travel for Thanksgiving.

A powerful winter storm is set to blast parts of the US with heavy snow, cold temperatures, high winds and rain, just as millions of people across the country prepare to travel for Thanksgiving.

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This graphic shows the list of November storms that will blast the US ahead of Thanksgiving travel.
(FOX Weather)

The first widespread winter storm of the season is actually the second in a pair of storms set to sweep across the United States this week.

The first storm system has the potential to produce severe weather, including possible tornadoes, in parts of the southern and central Plains on Sunday and Monday, while torrential rains lead to fears of flooding.

Millions of people across the plains are bracing for the potential for severe thunderstorms and flooding rains in a region that has been no stranger to rainfall in the past few weeks.

The southern plains have been no strangers to heavy rainfall in the past few weeks. The FOX Forecast Center says that since the start of November, 3-12 inches of rain has fallen across the region.

It has certainly helped the drought situation, but more rain has forecasters worried that flash flooding could occur.

Winter storm affects Thanksgiving travel

The FOX Forecast Center says the second storm could have a more widespread impact, especially as people plan to travel ahead of Thanksgiving.

A powerful low pressure system is expected to form in the Ohio River Valley and Great Lakes region and will rapidly develop as the first storm system exits the US northward into Canada.

The FOX Forecast Center says this new low will strengthen significantly as it spins over the Great Lakes later this week, bringing the threat of strong winds across the region into the eastern United States

As the storm drifts off into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast toward the end of the week, trailing winds are expected to bring in enough cold air to support a large band of snow somewhere in the Ohio River Valley.

This graphic shows the expected snow totals this week.
(FOX Weather)

The coldest air will be on the south side of the system and blow into the Appalachians.

That’s the area, the FOX Forecast Center said, that snowfall is possible across parts of the interior Ohio Valley, the northern Mid-Atlantic and the interior Northeast by the end of the week into the weekend.

But forecasters say there is still considerable uncertainty about the amount of cold air available for snow.

There is also the threat of snow effect, but it will be hit-or-miss depending on how the low pressure system tracks, the FOX Forecast Center added.

As it stands now, the air may be too warm to support the snow effect, but be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted to any changes in the forecast.