Thanksgiving US travel: High winds, expanding lake-effect snow and spotty rain to disrupt millions
Widespread travel delays will mount across the United States around Thanksgiving with areas of high winds, increasing lake-effect snow and squalls and drenching rain.
Multiple semis jackknifed on icy roads in Minnesota on Nov. 26. The state patrol reported several incidents, including one east of Moorhead in this video, as wintry weather caused slippery travel.
Everything from high winds to downpours and snow squalls will create travel disruptions for millions of people across the United States leading up to Thanksgiving, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Fog, severe weather, wind and torrential downpours led to travel delays in part of the south-central U.S. and the northern part of the Rockies and interior Northwest Monday. On Tuesday, rain spread eastward into the Northeast as snow crossed part of the Midwest. Thunderstorms also produced damaging winds in Alabama and Georgia. Winds became gusty across the Midwest and Ohio Valley Wednesday.
In the wake of wind-swept snow in Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, winds will howl from the Midwest to the interior Northeast through Thanksgiving Day. Power outages are anticipated.
The strongest winds may focus along lakes Superior and Erie. Buffalo, New York, could especially be hard hit through Thursday morning.
Much colder air will sweep from the Central states to the East and South into Thursday. The average drop in high and low temperatures behind the cold front will be 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit, with even greater drops in some locations.
As the storm that produced near-blizzard conditions in portions of Minnesota from Tuesday night into early Wednesday lifts into Ontario, substantial blowing and drifting snow will continue. Some secondary roads may be blocked by drifts. Near-zero visibility at times may make travel dangerous.
Farther southeast, as Arctic air expands, bands of lake-effect snow will develop off lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, with interstates 75, 79, 80, 81, 86, 90 and 196 primarily affected by pockets of heavy snow, snow-covered roads and poor visibility.
"Wind gusts over 40 mph could cause airline delays in cities including Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham warned.
Brief gusts will occur, but the strongest winds will hold off until Thanksgiving Day afternoon and evening along I-95.
In the Northwest, the heaviest rain from the second storm of the week will continue to cause conditions to deteriorate along the Interstate 5 corridor in Oregon and Washington.
Thanksgiving Day: Great Lakes, Northwest travel troubles
By Thanksgiving Day, most of travel problems in the U.S. will be largely confined to less than 100 miles off the shores of the Great Lakes and the zone from the northern part of the Rockies to the coastal Northwest.
Bands of heavy lake-effect snow will expand well inland over Michigan, the northern parts of Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as across western, central and northern New York.
Accumulating snow will spread inland from the Northwest to northern and central Idaho, much of Montana and northern Wyoming.
Along the I-5 corridor in Washington and Oregon, slow and slick travel is to be expected due to rain as the atmospheric river continues.
In central and South Florida, spotty thunderstorms may cause brief disruptions.
Thanksgiving Day parade weather in NYC
While conditions will be free of rain (and snow) in New York City on Thanksgiving Day, gusty winds may pose some challenges for those spending time outdoors. This includes both paradegoers and balloon handlers for the traditional parade in New York City in the morning.
People waiting on location for the parade for many hours are encouraged to bundle up, as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be mainly in the 30s, occasionally dipping into the 20s.
The large parade balloons may need to be lowered to street level for safety. While the north-south avenues may offer some shelter from the wind, intersections at each street may be the most troublesome, as winds will generally blow through the concrete canyons from west to east. The strongest winds are likely to be late in the morning through the afternoon and evening.
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