Thanksgiving weather and travel: A storm, cold and snow effect can cause problems.

CNN
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Mother Nature is serving up some unappetizing conditions for the millions of Thanksgiving travelers: slushy weather, snow, the coldest temperatures since February and a potentially disruptive storm heading through the holiday weekend.

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

A brisk storm brings rain to parts of the East Coast, while a few snowflakes fall around the Great Lakes. A few smooth patches are possible in high elevations in the Northeast, where temperatures will remain cooler Tuesday.

Widespread travel problems are unlikely in the East. Some problems are possible for airports in the New York City area and Boston due to low clouds and light rain.

High pressure will keep the central US clear of hazardous travel weather.

The second atmospheric river-driven storm in the past week is hammering parts of the West. High-elevation snow will bury areas from California’s Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Rockies, while rain falls at lower elevations.

Rain may fall heavy enough in parts of central and southern California to cause flooding. Conditions will lighten during the day for California and Nevada, but dreary weather will continue farther east, especially in Utah and Colorado.

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.

Much of the West will dry out as the atmospheric river-driven storm dissipates late in the day, with Colorado and northern New Mexico being the exceptions.

One to 2 feet of snow could accumulate 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.

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

Gloomy weather will extend from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast as the storm that formed late Wednesday pushes east.

Expected confidence in the storm’s strength and track has increased after two separate scenarios were possible Monday.

A moderate storm will track from the central Appalachians in the morning and reach the southern New England coast in the afternoon. It will spread rain and windy conditions over the eastern coast along the way.

Rain will not be heavy enough to produce flooding, but it could at times lead to poor visibility 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 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.

Friday and weekend

Dry but cold conditions will build over the US.

Morning lows for millions will be the coldest they’ve been since last winter. 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 places over 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.

A widespread blast of cold, arctic air threatens much of the United States. Cool air will begin to filter into the northern states early this week before a significant push of winter-like 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 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.