Millions of people are about to travel for Thanksgiving, and many could face weather delays. Although the forecast looks favorable for most of the Lower 48, a few regions will face wintry weather and record-low temperatures.
Northeast
Tuesday is the busiest travel day for Thanksgiving in the Northeast, according to AAA, which says about 48.5 million people will drive this year. About 4.3 million travelers will get to their holiday destinations by plane, the agency notes. In the Northeast, snow could lengthen the time that travelers spend on the road and at the airports. The National Weather Service in Boston writes:
A weak wave of low pressure will bring light snow to the region [Monday] morning changing to rain except freezing rain in the Worcester Hills and east slopes of the Berkshires. A stronger wave of low pressure will likely impact the area later tonight into Tuesday with accumulating snow across northern Massachusetts. Rain may change to snow before ending Tuesday afternoon across [Connecticut, Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts].
Behind the snow, an Arctic blast sweeps into the Northeast late Wednesday, bringing record-cold wind chills in time for Thanksgiving.
From Maine to Pennsylvania, temperatures could be lower than they’ve ever been on Thanksgiving, even in the years the holiday fell very late in the month. Early-morning lows drop to about 20 degrees from Philadelphia to New York City. In Upstate New York, temperatures at sunrise will be in the single digits. Boston’s Thursday-morning low temperature will be about 15 degrees.
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According to the National Weather Service, only three Thanksgivings have had high temperatures below 30 degrees. The coldest Turkey Day on record in New York City was Nov. 28, 1901, when the high temperature was 26 degrees — which is also the forecast for Thursday.
At the very least, it looks as though it will be the coldest Thanksgiving in more than 20 years.
Record cold daytime temperature | Record date | ||
|---|---|---|---|
22 degrees | 24 degrees | Nov. 28, 1901 | |
Providence | 23 degrees | 30 degrees | Nov. 28, 1996 |
New York City | 26 degrees | 26 degrees | Nov. 28, 1901 |
Philadelphia | 29 degrees | 30 degrees | Nov. 28, 1996 |
Washington | 34 degrees | 30 degrees | Nov. 27, 1930 |
Midwest
A chance of light snow during the day and night on Monday shouldn’t be a travel concern in the Midwest. But wintry-cold temperatures are flowing across the Great Lakes, which will generate snow for some of the areas off Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario through Wednesday. Lake-effect snow is in the forecast for Northeast Ohio; Erie, Pa.; and western Upstate New York into late Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Thanksgiving should be dry for much, if not all, of the Midwest. High temperatures Thursday are in the 20s and 30s.
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Thanksgiving high temperature | |
|---|---|
Minneapolis | 37 degrees |
35 degrees | |
30 degrees | |
Indianapolis | 36 degrees |
27 degrees |
South
Rain is possible in parts of Texas on Monday, the region’s busiest Thanksgiving travel day, according to AAA. Houston’s travelers tend to hit the road on Monday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and in Dallas, most air travel is scheduled Monday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
In Southeast Texas, rain on Monday could cause delays on the roads before it’s pushed out of the region by a cold front. That same front extends across the Southeast, where showers are possible into early afternoon Tuesday.
By Wednesday, the forecast is quiet across much of the South. There’s a chance of showers Wednesday evening and night in the Houston area, but they should clear out by Thursday morning for a partly sunny Thanksgiving.
West
A storm brewing off the West Coast will delay travel starting Wednesday, and the National Weather Service is advising drivers to plan extra time into their trips.
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“After weeks of dry conditions under strong high pressure, a significant pattern shift will occur by Wednesday as weak to moderately strong weather system moves into the region,” the National Weather Service in Reno, Nev., wrote on Monday. “This means that [Monday] and Tuesday will be the best days for those with travel plans this week.”
Snowy and windy conditions are likely over the Sierra passes above 7,500 feet starting Wednesday morning. The combination of snow and wind could reduce visibility significantly at high elevations. At lower elevations, roads will be wet “and will be initially slick as road residue, like oil, begins to wash off paved surfaces,” the Weather Service noted. Closures are likely at the Ebbetts, Sonora and Tioga passes in the Sierra Mountains this week.
Up to a foot of snow could fall on the high elevations in the Central Sierra this week.
In the San Francisco Bay area, rain begins Tuesday night and lasts through Thanksgiving Day. In Southern California, showers are possible starting Wednesday afternoon, and rain is likely Wednesday night. Most of the precipitation should clear out by Thursday in Los Angeles, but there’s a chance of lingering showers through Thanksgiving night.
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