Winter’s Disruptive Storm will bring the Coldest air in Months to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving travel headaches across the eastern half of the United States will be caused by a storm and the first punch of winterlike chill.

In parts of the Midwest and South, the storm is expected to roll Wednesday night, then move east on Thanksgiving Day. While Black Friday shoppers battle for Black Friday bargains, frigid air surges into the US.

The storm track is still unclear, which will determine which areas get holiday snow and which suffer from wet, dreary weather. However, last-minute travelers are in for disruption in two different scenarios.

As the storm headed east, it would develop in the Plains Wednesday. Rain will spread from the Midwest to the South by Wednesday night as the system intensifies.

Taking advantage of some cold, Canadian air, it would track westward up the Appalachian Mountains Thursday, then head north for the New England Coast overnight.

During this period, cold temperatures will bring heavy, wet snow to the interior Northeast, while rain is expected to drench lower elevations.

Despite the higher wind speeds, widespread gusts of up to 30 mph are also expected in the East on Thursday. It is anticipated that gusts will be higher close to the coast, especially in the Carolinas and New England’s southern portions.

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Thanksgiving Day travel could be disrupted by gusty winds for last-minute travelers. Stormy weather and gusty winds can also cause trees and power lines to fall.

Northern Maine would be affected by the storm by Friday morning, and it would exit the country shortly afterward. Generally dry and breezy conditions are expected for Friday and Saturday in the East.

Alternatively, the Midwest might see the heaviest rain and snow risk shift away from the Northeast, creating a much wetter Thanksgiving.

A storm would develop during the evening of Wednesday, possibly around the Mississippi or Tennessee valleys. Through Thursday night and Friday morning, it slowly moves through the mid-Atlantic towards the Atlantic Ocean.

In the Southeast and mid-Atlantic, more rain is forecast, while the Northeast is likely to see a lighter coating of rain and accumulating snow.

Post-holiday travel will be affected by how close to the coast the storm remains once it reaches the Atlantic.

Should the storm course toward New England and hug the coast, a mix of rain and snow could develop. Boston area, as well as Interstate 95, will be a mess Friday with this weather.

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Despite the path of the late-week storm, cold, Canadian air is hitting a large part of the US.

Early this week, chillier air will filter into the northern states before winterlike air spreads.

Thanksgiving Day will be cool, in the mid-30s, more appropriate for late December. North Dakota’s temperature will barely reach the teens and feel like winter.

Temperatures may be ten or more degrees below normal even as far south as the Gulf Coast.

Weekend weather will be coldest in many locations in the central and eastern US.

Neither Saturday nor Sunday could bring highs in the 30s in Philadelphia. New York City is no different.

Later this week, the Great Lakes’ lake-effect snow machine will also kick on. Several areas may see lake-effect snow next week due to cold Canadian air surging over record-warm lakes.

According to the Climate Prediction Center, cold air will persist throughout much of the East in December.

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