A widespread Thanksgiving storm, arctic cold and snow effect could cause problems

Mother Nature is about to serve up some unappetizing conditions millions of Thanksgiving travelers: sloppy weather, snow, the coldest temperatures since February and a potential disruptive storm is on its way through the holiday weekend.

Here’s a day-by-day look at what to expect this week.

Wednesday

Dry, calm and mostly sunny weather will shift east for last-minute travelers during the day.

A storm will begin to organize in the afternoon over the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley after a dry start to the day in the central United States. This storm will spread rain from the mid-country to the Appalachians overnight.

Rain could mix with snow for a period in the evening from Illinois to northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. This would make for smooth conditions for all early Thanksgiving morning travelers.

After an active stretch of weather, the West also looks good for Wednesday, and the dry stretch will last through the busy travel period at least into early next week.

Heavy snow in western Colorado Tuesday night is expected to blow Wednesday afternoon. Higher elevations in western Colorado will approach 2 to 3 feet of snow. Denver could see 1 to 3 inches of snow Wednesday, but with temperatures in the mid-30s, motorists shouldn’t see significant travel impacts.

As the snow ends in the Rockies, the storm system will begin spreading rain into the Midwest and Mississippi Valleys Wednesday afternoon. By Wednesday night, the rain will move into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.

Thursday

Much of the US will be dry but cold on Thanksgiving Day with the exception of the East.

Rain will extend from the southeast to the northeast, with light snow in inland parts of northeastern and northern New England.

“I think Thursday is going to be our messiest day,” CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa said Tuesday afternoon. “Many of us will be looking at some soft turkeys for Thanksgiving” with travel issues along most of the East Coast.

Rain will not be heavy enough to produce flooding, but it could lead to poor visibility for motorists at times. Many areas from the Gulf Coast through New England will pick up less than an inch of rain.

Dreary weather with low clouds can sometimes cause problems for airports on the east coast.

On Thursday, wet, sloppy snow will fall in the northeastern elevations. A few inches could pile up late Thursday night in northern New York and New England.

Some areas will see really cold temperatures come in.

“The first significant Arctic outbreak of the season will arrive on the Northern Plains on Thanksgiving,” the Weather Prediction Center said.

Friday and weekend

Dry but cold conditions will build over the US.

Morning lows for millions will be the coldest they’ve been in the best part of a year. High temperatures will peak at late December or January-like levels.

The Thanksgiving Day storm will be largely out of the east by sunrise, but lake-effect snow will start moving up to areas below the Great Lakes as arctic air rushes over record hot lakes.

Feet of snow could pile up in some places over the course of a few days as it continues to fall into next week.

Gusts of 20 to 30 mph will make it quite breezy across the Midwest through most of Friday. These gusts can cause problems for busy airports in the region.

The This is according to the National Weather Service Weather disruptions to freeway travel are likely Friday through Monday on Interstate 90 between Cleveland and Buffalo and Interstate 81 north of Syracuse due to snow drifts.

“Travel may be very difficult to impossible in the hardest hit areas,” the weather service said. “Forecast accumulations will become more apparent as the event approaches.”

The National Weather Service office in Buffalo said some major roads could close due to very poor visibility and deep snow cover.

The coldest air since last winter has moved in

A widespread blast of cold, arctic air threatens much of the United States.

“Temperatures will likely be the coldest since mid-February across the Northern Plains and Midwest, making for a sharp change from the record, or near-record, warm fall so far,” the Weather Prediction Center said.

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 cold on Friday. Low temperatures early Friday morning will drop below freezing in the Dakotas and drop into the teens and single digits across much of the northern and central United States.

High temperatures as far south as the Gulf Coast will likely be 10 or more degrees below normal, and some places may not reach the 60s.

Many locations in the central and eastern United States 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 on both Saturday and Sunday. The same can be said about New York City.

Cold air will persist across much of the East as the calendar turns 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.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com