AccuWeather.com

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

Nov 23, 2011; 1:54 PM ET

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A nightmare awaits those hitting the road or taking to the skies to reach Thanksgiving Day destinations today in part of the Northeast and the Northwest.

Weather is improving in the Northeast this evening. Click here for the latest.

Soaking rain, low clouds and gusty winds will be the predominant culprits behind travel woes within these two regions today. However for some, snow is also to blame.

Most travelers would gladly take rain over snow, but even wet weather can bring trouble when there is a high volume of vehicles.

"Stopping distance greatly increases on wet roadways, and poor visibility from heavy rain, fog and blowing spray increases reaction time," warned AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

"The rain, areas of fog and associated low cloud ceilings will put added pressure on airlines dealing with the heavy volume of holiday traffic."

Rain, Snow, Wind Plague Northeast Travelers

A potent storm with its soaking rain, snow and gusty winds is impacting the Northeast during the first part of Wednesday.

The snow is clogging roads across upstate New York and northern New England, while rain soaks southern New England.

The steadiest rain will depart during the midday hours. However, it could take the better part of the day until the flight delays driven by the rain into this morning sort out. Gusty winds will also cause issues into tonight at some of the Northeast's major airports

The same can be said for motorists traveling through the mountains of the Virginias, North Carolina and Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

Thunderstorms, Gusty Winds for the Southeast

Showers and thunderstorms will linger into the afternoon across the Florida Peninsula.

An small number of the thunderstorms will kick up gusty winds, but more will drop downpours that threaten to reduce visibility for motorists, heighten the risk of vehicles hydroplaning and trigger minor flight delays.

The brisk winds that develop in the South today should generally not severely impact travel, outside of the North Carolina mountains.

Avalanche Concerns Add to Northwest's Travel Woes

It is not just drenching rain, mountain snow and howling winds that travelers across the Northwest will have to contend with today, but also the danger of avalanches in the Cascades and Olympics.

The Northwest will not join the Northeast in drying out tonight. Instead, the Northwest storm train will continue at full speed with yet another round of rain and mountain snow set to swing onshore.

Fog Concerns Across the Plains

Dry weather will dominate the nation's midsection today with high pressure in control, but the region is not exempt from weather-related travel problems.

Wet spots on untreated roads and sidewalks turned icy overnight Tuesday across the Midwest and is now creating treacherous conditions this morning.

Today is also starting with patchy dense fog from Texas to Minnesota and Wisconsin, creating poor visibility for motorists.

Airline passengers should also prepare for minor flight delays before bright sunshine returns this afternoon.

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