Thanksgiving travel may be slowed by cross-country storm next week
A storm will impact much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States during the busiest travel times ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday as millions hit the highways and head for the airports.
AAA’s Aixa Diaz joins the AccuWeather Network on what she expects to be a record week for Thanksgiving holiday travel. She also breaks down the top Thanksgiving travel destinations in the U.S.
Millions of people planning to travel during the busy week of Thanksgiving may face weather-related delays across large parts of the United States, AccuWeather meteorologists say. Many disruptions will be caused by a storm swinging out of the Southwest and sending downpours and perhaps severe thunderstorms across the central, southern and eastern U.S.
Cars jam Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Florida, in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo / Marta Lavandier)
Close to 82 million people will venture at least 50 miles away from home during the days before, during and after Thanksgiving this year, which will be a new record, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Weekend travelers face stormy weather
A storm producing heavy rain and mountain snow in California late this week will shift into Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado during the weekend. Snow should be confined to the highest elevations, with rain showers in most areas where the major highways are located, for those getting an early start on their Thanksgiving travels.
Scattered showers could make roads slick from Kentucky and Tennessee to the Carolinas and Virginia on Saturday before departing by Sunday.
More substantial downpours, including heavy, gusty thunderstorms, are expected to return to parts of Texas this weekend as the storm begins to draw moisture from the Gulf. The storms could be intense enough to impact flight operations at Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Oklahoma City and Little Rock, Arkansas, from later Sunday to Monday and perhaps Houston on Monday.
Downpours, storms to push across Mississippi Valley on Tuesday
As the storm rolls out from Texas and the southern Plains region on Tuesday, a large area of drenching downpours and possible severe thunderstorms will spread over the Mississippi Valley. "The best chance of severe weather will be in the South Central states," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
However, if that storm tracks to the northeast, the zone of drenching rain will extend beyond the Midwest and severe weather may occur farther to the north, such as in the Ohio Valley.
Flights that pass through or originate from Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, Houston, Minneapolis and possibly Pittsburgh may be adversely affected by the large storm system on Tuesday.
A period of snow and wintry mix may also accompany the system across the northern tier of the Plains and Midwest from Monday night to Tuesday.
Travel trouble risk over thousands of miles at midweek
As cold air pushes southward from the Canadian Prairies on Tuesday and Wednesday, a swath of snow will develop along the northeastern slopes of the Rockies and High Plains, from Montana to Wyoming, western Nebraska and Colorado.
"It is possible there are snow showers or a brief period of snow for the Denver area sometime from late Wednesday to Thanksgiving Day," Pastelok said.
Wednesday is a particularly busy Thanksgiving travel day at airports and on the roads.
"There is the potential for travel delays related to rain, slick conditions and poor visibility from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast states from Wednesday to Wednesday night, but that depends on the track, strength and forward speed of the large storm system," Pastelok said. "The storm will be losing some of its intensity and moisture as it travels from the Central states to the Northeast, but given the travel volume, even a few hours of rain can create significant problems on the roads and runways from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston."
Thunderstorms could lead to delays at the busy southeastern U.S. hubs of Atlanta and Charlotte for a time on Wednesday.
Early look at Thanksgiving Day could be better, worse in NYC
Behind the large storm, a sweep of colder air will bring blustery conditions and most likely some lake-effect snow to the Great Lakes region from Wednesday to Thanksgiving Day.
A truck drives during a fresh round of snow in Lowville, New York, on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
There is the potential for rain and snow showers along a cold front that pivots from the Ohio Valley to the Appalachians from Wednesday to Thanksgiving Day.
Dry air may chase away showers that start the day for parade goers in New York City on Thanksgiving morning. However, if the cold front arrives several hours later, it could bring wet conditions for a substantial part of the day along much of the Atlantic Seaboard.
"At this time, we believe strong winds behind the front will hold off in New York City until the afternoon or evening and should be relatively light for the large balloons during Thanksgiving morning," Pastelok said. "However, if the front is faster, winds may kick up sooner."
"There is a way it could snow along part of the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts on Thanksgiving night," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "A storm that forms along the front just off the Atlantic coast could capture the fresh cold air at the last minute."
Those spending time at the Florida theme parks and beaches may encounter some showers and thunderstorms from later Wednesday to Thursday, depending on the speed of the cold front. Warmth with highs in the 80s F should last at least into the first half of the week.
Most areas to be dry west of Rockies next week, but watch for winds
Much of California and the Southwest will stay dry from later Monday through Thanksgiving Day.
As an exception, low clouds and spotty showers are expected in the coastal areas of Washington and Oregon most days next week. Later on Thanksgiving Day, depending on the timing of a Pacific storm, showers may become more widespread in the Northwest and could spread into parts of Northern California.
There will be some fog that lingers over California's Central Valley on Sunday and Monday.
"What may be more of a factor for travelers in Southern California from this weekend through next week will be periodic offshore winds, including Santa Anas that can make for tricky vehicle handling and perhaps even trigger sporadic power outages for those preparing meals," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill said. "The wildfire risk is there but is much lower than recent years in a similar situation due to the moist landscape from recent rainstorms."
AccuWeather will run additional stories on holiday travel in the coming days, as well as what to expect post-Thanksgiving for shopping and the trip home.
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