A cross-country storm could lead to travel havoc for millions of Thanksgiving travelers next week, forecasters said.
“A storm will impact much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States during the busiest travel times ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in an online forecast.
Although mainly a rainmaker, some snow is likely along the storm’s northern edges, especially in the northern Plains and around the Great Lakes.
Sosnowski said that many disruptions will be caused by the storm, which will be swinging out of the Southwest and sending downpours and perhaps severe thunderstorms across the central, southern and eastern U.S.
The first couple of days in the holiday week will feature a rainstorm in the south-central U.S. According to the National Weather Service, widespread moderate to heavy rainfall, mainly in the form of repeating rounds of thunderstorms, is likely from northeastern Texas to the greater Memphis metro area on Monday, Nov. 24.
“From Missouri southward, there may be thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall, so be on the lookout for flooded roads,” said Weather.com meteorologist Sara Tonks in an online forecast.
By Tuesday, Nov. 25, rain is expected to spread from the Midwest and Southeast to the East Coast, Tonks said. Some thunderstorms are possible across the Southeast. “The best chance of severe weather will be in the south-central states,” AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
A period of snow and wintry mix may also accompany the system across the northern tier of the Plains and Midwest from Monday night Nov. 24 to Tuesday Nov. 25, according to AccuWeather.
As for temperatures, they are expected to be mild for this time of year from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes region ahead of a cold front, with highs running 5-15+ degrees above late November averages through Tuesday, the weather service said.
One concern for the peak travel day, Wednesday, Nov. 26, is for showers to hang in place in at least parts of the East, particularly in the morning, Tonks said. “That could lead to flight delays out of the major Northeast hubs.”
Pastelok agreed, noting that “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.”
Tonks warned that we also may see some heavy lake-effect snowbands begin to set up in parts of the western Great Lakes snowbelts (northern Michigan) that could lead to dangerous travel in those areas.
Also on Wednesday, the mild airmass reaches the East Coast, with highs well into the 50s and 60s for many areas, followed by a return to slightly below average conditions to close out the week, the weather service said.
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 into Thanksgiving Day.
“There will be enough cold air advection across the Great Lakes to support lake effect snows across northern Michigan, and also from northeast Ohio to central New York for Thanksgiving and into early Friday,” the weather service said in an online forecast.
The snow could also be accompanied by strong winds, potentially leading to localized whiteout conditions, Tonks said.

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