Thanksgiving week travel forecast: Snow, heavy rain could snare the trip home

The FOX Forecast Center is tracking Thanksgiving week weather and predicting some potential disruptions, but the majority of travelers should reach their destination unaffected by extreme weather. Getting home can be a different story, especially in the East.

Nearly 80 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more, with peak days falling on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after.

The holiday week is set to start with stormy conditions on the west coast and fast movement over the Great Lakes.

The storm system over the northern part of the United States is expected to move out of the country on Tuesday, resulting in minimal accumulations, but the system over the West Coast could present challenges.

Similar to the recent atmospheric river event, the invasion of moisture along the west coast is expected to result in heavy rain and gusty winds in the lower elevations and mountain snow.

Cities like Portland, Oregon and San Francisco are likely to experience the heaviest rainfall, although the storm’s severity is expected to be much less than the recent deadly atmospheric river event that caused downed trees and flooding.

The energy will set the stage for a cross-country event, but through at least the holiday itself, it will remain fairly disorganized.

During Tuesday through Thursday, scattered pockets of precipitation are expected to make their way through the Rockies and south, but remain under severe weather criteria.

In the Intermountain West, those driving through Colorado, Utah, Nevada and the mountains of California can expect to encounter areas of snow-covered roads. The storm could also lead to airport delays in places like Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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Major hubs like Atlanta and Charlotte will see the effects of the storm system, with showers creeping up into the Mid-Atlantic. But the timing is expected to be quite lucky.

The worst weather in the South is expected on the least busy air travel day of the year: Thanksgiving Day itself. In 2023, only 1.5 million travelers passed through the airport’s checkpoints, significantly fewer than the days before and after the holidays.

Budding storm for later this week in the east?

The FOX Forecast Center expects Black Friday to be the most disruptive travel day, especially along the East Coast, as an area of ​​low pressure tries to develop off the East Coast.

Depending on the exact location of the low pressure center will determine whether the eastern seaboard sees just the occasional shower or whether the day is a washout – or more.

The forecast remains uncertain, but there is a growing chance for impactful winter weather across the interior Northeast and back over the Great Lakes, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

Lake-effect snow is likely to last into next weekend. Either way, the combination of heavy traffic, gusty winds and precipitation possibilities will lead to both road and airport delays along the I-95 corridor.

Meanwhile, calm weather is expected in large parts of the rest of the country.

The coldest air of the season is ready to end the holiday weekend

And behind the wet weather there will be a significant drop in temperatures, with some of the coldest air of the season.

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An intrusion of cold air from Canada starting on Thanksgiving Day and working its way south and east is guaranteed to precede the frontal boundary.

The air mass will be the coldest of the season, with few areas east of the Rockies unaffected.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, communities in the Northern Plains and near the Canadian border could see temperatures drop below zero, with even cooler wind chills.

The cold air will likely prevent Chicago from reaching above freezing and could leave New York struggling to reach the 40s as people hit the malls and begin their journey home after November 28.

Unlike previous cold air episodes that had minimal staying power, this air mass is expected to keep temperatures cool over most of the eastern United States into the first week of December.