Thunderstorms are rolling in the Southeast
The Southeast experienced severe weather on Nov. 25, but conditions are expected to improve by Thanksgiving.
A powerful cyclone moving across the northern United States is expected to dump heavy snow across the Upper Plains and Great Lakes regions over the next few days, potentially causing traffic jams and flight delays as millions of Americans travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to the National Weather Service, winter storm warnings and snow advisories were issued for Nov. 26 from Minnesota and Michigan to Pennsylvania and New York.
Parts of northern Michigan and Wisconsin were receiving 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour, and forecasters warned of blizzard conditions along the south shore of Lake Superior. Forecasters also warned of strong winds that could reach 40 mph in major cities including Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit.
The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, Michigan, warned that “snow and blowing snow could reduce visibility to less than a quarter mile.” “Whiteout conditions are expected, making travel hazardous and potentially life-threatening. Visibility and road conditions can change rapidly over short distances in the event of lake effect snow.”
The dangerous weather conditions come as a record 82 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles from home for Thanksgiving, according to AAA.
Freezing temperatures possible across eastern U.S.
The National Weather Service said heavy rain has eased in New England, but thunderstorms are possible in the Southeast. Wet snow is expected to remain in Maine until Thanksgiving morning.
Although many parts of the eastern United States are below average for this time of year, polar air is expected to stagnate in the region and central part of the country, causing temperatures to plummet to below freezing as far as the Florida Panhandle by November 28.
Atmospheric river brings snowy holidays to the West
“The Pacific Northwest will experience mountain snow and low-lying rain as atmospheric rivers continue Wednesday through Thanksgiving Day,” AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. AccuWeather said the heaviest rain would be in southwest Washington and northwest Oregon, where it could cause airline and highway delays in Seattle and Portland.
The chance of snow will also increase across Montana by Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service. “Please allow extra travel time for your morning commute due to slippery roads,” the weather service in Missoula, Montana, advised.
Weekend storms will cause more travel troubles
The new storm will wreak havoc on travel over the weekend, bringing snow and rain to large swaths of the central and eastern United States from Friday, Nov. 28 through Saturday, Nov. 29, and Sunday, Nov. 30.
The storm will first bring snow to the northern Rockies and northern Plains on Friday, Nov. 27, forecasters said. By Friday night, that snow will spread from parts of the upper Midwest into Iowa, southern Wisconsin and western Illinois, according to Weather.com. Expect snow-covered and slippery roads in these areas.
Travel will worsen over the weekend. “If you’re traveling on Saturday (Nov. 29) or Sunday (Nov. 30), keep an eye on the weather. Expect delays and reduced traffic in the central United States on Saturday and in the east on Sunday,” Weather.com meteorologists said in an online forecast.
AccuWeather announced that motorists and airline passengers across much of the Plains and Midwest will experience significant travel delays on Saturday, November 29th. “Planes in snowy regions will need to be de-iced,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Further south, rain and thunderstorms could also impact Texas airports.
Major airports that could be affected by snow or rain on November 29 include Chicago, Dallas, and Fort Lawrence airports. Worth, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Minneapolis St. Paul and St. Louis, according to Weather.com.
The storm will continue across much of the Upper Midwest Saturday night, according to AccuWeather. By Sunday, November 30th, areas of snow and wintry mix will extend into the interior of the Northeast.
According to Weather.com, most of the precipitation will be rain on Sunday, Nov. 30, in the East, especially in urban areas along I-95. Either way, this could result in significant flight delays at major hubs on the East Coast.
