Ashburn, VA

55° F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

55°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

News & Features AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Business Climate Health Recreation Sports Travel

News / Winter Weather

Pre-Thanksgiving storm to dish out disruptive snow, wind, rain along 1,800-mile corridor of US

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Nov. 22, 2019 7:17 PM EDT

Copied

AccuWeather Meteorologist Brittany Boyer breaks down the storm's path and how the snow may disrupt any travel plans for Thanksgiving.

A winterlike storm will pack enough punch with snow, rain and wind to have major impact on Thanksgiving travel in the central and eastern United States this week.

The timing of the storm will coincide with the peak of holiday travel. AAA said in its annual Thanksgiving holiday travel forecast that there will be "major delays throughout the week, peaking Wednesday with trips taking as much four times longer as commuters mix with travelers" -- and meteorologists say the storm's impacts will sweep across the nation from Tuesday to Wednesday and beyond.

Central US to feel brunt of storm Tuesday into Wednesday

The storm is forecast to organize quickly along the eastern slopes of central Rockies and Plains during Tuesday then race northeastward toward the Great Lakes during Tuesday night.

Snow will fall in a narrow zone on the northern and western flank of the storm.

The exact track will determine where several inches of snow falls and causes slippery roads and hazardous conditions.

"At this time, enough snow to create winterlike travel is anticipated from central and northeastern Colorado to much of Nebraska, northern Kansas, much of Iowa, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Michigan," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

"Enough snow to shovel and plow is anticipated in this swath," Anderson added.

Cities that may receive enough snow for slippery conditions include Denver; Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines and Davenport, Iowa; Rochester, Minnesota; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

An AccuWeather Local StormMax™️ of 20 inches is anticipated in the Rockies.

Related:

How to drive safely when roads are covered with snow and ice
Slew of sloppy, winterlike weather to slow Thanksgiving travelers in the Golden State
Mississippi Valley, Gulf Coast on alert for severe storms on busy Thanksgiving travel day

South and east of the track of the storm, an area of drenching rain is expected to develop over the central Plains and increase in size as it reaches the Ohio Valley and southeastern Great Lakes later Tuesday and Tuesday night.

The rain can be heavy enough to cause water to collect in poor drainage areas of streets and highways and greatly increase the stopping distance needed in an emergency situation.

Motorists traveling along Interstate 70, I-80 and I-90 are likely to encounter rain and snow on their routes over the Central states on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the same storm has the potential to cause severe weather and travel disruptions of a different sort over the South-Central states on Tuesday.

As the storm strengthens near the Great Lakes late Tuesday and Tuesday night, winds will increase substantially over a broad area of the Midwest.

The winds will cause very low visibility in the snow area over the Plains and Upper Midwest but even hinder visibility in the rain area farther east over the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes regions.

Strengthening winds can become a major problem at the airports.

During episodes of strong, gusty winds, officials must space out the arriving and departing aircraft. This can cause flight delays and cancellations to increase exponentially during the heavy volume of holiday travelers.

The worst conditions in the Midwest, such as at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, are likely from late Tuesday to Wednesday afternoon. Delays could hit Detroit's Metro Airport from Tuesday night through Wednesday night.

Due to the extensive impacts from this storm and its strong winds and precipitation, ripple-effect delays may be felt at other airports around the country.

Storm to race through northeastern US Wednesday, and winds will linger

With a northern track of the storm likely, much of the precipitation in the Northeast is expected to fall in the form of rain rather than snow at midweek. However, there could be a couple of exceptions.

A wintry mix can cause slick travel conditions over the northern tier of the Northeast at the onset of the storm on Wednesday. Snow showers are also likely to create isolated slippery spots in the wake of the storm late Wednesday and Wednesday night over the Appalachians and eastern Great Lakes regions.

A thorough rain could soak upstate New York and New England for a few hours on Wednesday. It could reduce visibility and slow travel for a time.

Brief showers may sweep through areas farther south and east, including along the I-95 corridor from New York City to Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia. Problems along I-95 and I-81 in the region due to precipitation may be very limited due to the spotty and brief nature.

Only if the storm tracks much farther south and east would a general snowstorm evolve or a situation where enough snow falls to create slippery travel over a broad area of the region.

AccuWeather meteorologists believe that increasing winds could end up being very disruptive to travel in the region.

Just as in the Midwest, airline delays and flight cancellations are predicted. With a concentration of major hubs in the Northeast from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., and so many people heading out on their trips, there is the potential for major disruptions.

As if the storm-related problems were not enough for the Midwest and Northeast, a potent storm will eye the western U.S. this week with widespread areas of heavy rain, heavy snow and travel disruptions.

Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Health

Saharan dust cloud over the Atlantic may reach Gulf Coast by weekend

May 17, 2022
Weather News

Melting glacier allows researchers to make ‘exceptional’ discovery

May 17, 2022
Weather Forecasts

Scorching heat roasts India as New Delhi soars to 116 F

May 17, 2022
Hurricane

New study finds increase in Atlantic hurricanes linked to cleaner air

May 17, 2022
Weather News

8th sandstorm since April turns everything orange, overwhelms Iraq

May 17, 2022
Severe Weather

Flood threat to focus on 1,000-mile zone of US

May 17, 2022
Astronomy

AccuWeather interviews NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins live from space

May 16, 2022
Astronomy

'Blood Moon' eclipse amazes stargazers across the world

May 16, 2022
Weather Forecasts

Pattern shift to bring turbulent weather to Northwest

May 17, 2022
video

Largest wildfire in New Mexico history burns at the size of Los Angele...

May 18, 2022
video

Study finds cities do not equitably distribute flood-resistant infrast...

May 17, 2022
Health

Collars and chewables to keep your pup free of ticks and fleas

Apr. 28, 2022
Recreation

Try putting one of these on your porch or patio this year

May 12, 2022
Show More Show Less Chevron down

Topics

News & Features

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Top Stories

Winter Weather

Denver weather to go from high 80s to snow in a matter of just hours

6 hours ago

Hurricane

Eye on the tropics: Latest update on potential for pre-season storm

13 hours ago

Weather News

116-year-old ‘ghost tracks’ unearthed following pesky coastal storm

1 day ago

National Park rangers ask visitors to be cautious this summer

1 day ago 1:14

Podcast: Introducing AccuWeather Premium Plus

More Stories

Featured Topic

Local Arthritis Forecast

Featured Stories

Last moments before Mount St. Helens eruption caught on camera Upgrade your spring wardrobe with these statement pieces Now is the time to pick up a new ride-on lawnmower for summer
AccuWeather Winter Weather Pre-Thanksgiving storm to dish out disruptive snow, wind, rain along 1,800-mile corridor of US
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
© 2021 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | TAG Disclosure | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK