Snow to snarl post-Thanksgiving travel in parts of Plains, Midwest, Northeast
As lake-effect snow ramps up into Thanksgiving day and continues into Friday, a large winter-style storm will gather over the Plains on Friday, before bringing snow and rain to the Midwest this weekend.
It may be a white Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend for some people in the Upper Midwest and Northeast, especially near the Great Lakes.
The same storm responsible for a blizzard across the northern tier of the central United States leading up to Thanksgiving is expected to trigger heavy lake-effect snow and squalls in parts of the Midwest and Northeast on the holiday and throughout part of the extended weekend.
A zone of snow and wintry mix will also stretch across portions of the Great Plains and eventually the Upper Midwest, potentially affecting travelers heading home Friday or Saturday.
Drivers familiar with lake-effect snow are aware of how quickly visibility can drop and roads can become slippery. However, holiday travel often brings many drivers who are less experienced in winter weather, increasing the risk of accidents during rapidly changing visibility and road conditions caused by lake-effect snow and snow squalls. This hazard will persist downwind of the Great Lakes from Thanksgiving Day through Friday.
Those who get stuck on the highways will have to face gusty winds and bitterly cold conditions.
The heaviest snow bands are expected across northern and western Michigan, northeastern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and western, central and northern New York Friday. Interstates 75, 79, 80, 81, 84, 86 and 90 will be the major roads at greatest risk for wintry trouble.
Brief but intense snow squalls could develop from central Ohio and northern West Virginia to western Maryland, much of Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey and parts of northwestern New England. A few snow showers may reach as far south as Philadelphia and New York City Friday. Gusty winds from the west and northwest may lead to airline delays at some of the Northeast hubs.
Farther west, another zone of snow and slippery travel is expected to expand from the North Central states and eastern Montana to western North Dakota, central South Dakota and eastern Nebraska. Cities likely to experience wintry conditions during the day include Great Falls, Montana; Huron, South Dakota; and Omaha, Nebraska.
Friday night, the area of snow and mixed precipitation will shift eastward, reaching Des Moines, Iowa; Rochester, Minnesota; Madison, Wisconsin; and Chicago before spreading into parts of the northern Ohio River Valley Saturday.
The storm has the potential to bring the first snowfall of the season to Denver during this time. Usually, the first snowfall occurs during the month of October in the Mile High City.
The weekend is huge as far as travel after Thanksgiving. Motorists and airline passengers in a large portion of the Plains and Midwest will encounter substantial travel delays Saturday. Planes in the snow zone will need to be deiced.
The storm will continue during Saturday night over a large part of the Upper Midwest with rain likely along the immediate Ohio Valley.
On Sunday, the area of snow and wintry mix will expand into the interior Northeast.
However, rain and fog can lead to travel delays in portions of the Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic and New England. Flights that have destinations in Chicago and Detroit could experience ground stops until runways have been cleared of any accumulating snow.
In the Northwest, the multiple-day atmospheric river will taper off. However, showers will linger along the Interstate 5 corridor in Washington and Oregon, with snow continuing at the higher elevations of the Cascades.
Much of the rest of the nation should be dry for travel. People should be mindful that flights and crews coming from snow-affected regions may face delays, even where the sky at their departure point is clear.
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