I'm Dreaming of a White.... Thanksgiving???

Graphics Credit: AccuWeather

Millions of Americans are getting ready to hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday, with the day of and the days around Thanksgiving being someone of the busiest travel days of the year. However, this year mother nature will make this a little more complicated for many of us throughout the country, whether we're traveling on the ground or in the air.

If you're making your holiday travels or just heading home for Penn State's Thanksgiving break over the weekend (Saturday 11/18 or Sunday 11/19), you'll probably encounter the potent storm system that will be passing through the Midwest and Eastern U.S. This cold front will dump some rain and produce some thunderstorms in the western Great Lakes, lower Ohio Valley, and mid-Mississippi Valley throughout the day on Friday 11/17. As the rain spreads to the Northeast on Saturday, some freezing rain, sleet, or snow is possible in upstate New York and in parts of northern New England. Additionally, flight delays are possible on Saturday in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston due to this weather system. This rain, and some thunderstorms, will stretch from the Great Lakes to Louisiana in the Central U.S., possibly causing flight delays at Chicago O'Hare, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. However, once this cold front pushes off to the east and out of the country, much colder temperatures will filter in behind it.

Graphics Credit: AccuWeather

After the mild and wet weather to end this week, progressively colder air will unleash rounds of lake-effect snow from the Upper Midwest to the interior Northeast throughout the week of Thanksgiving and cause travel delays. Once the cold front passes through, cold and strong northwesterly winds will blow over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes. This will most likely cause lake effect snow bands to form on the southeast portions of all the Great Lakes from Saturday night (11/18) to Monday (11/20). Lake effect snow is especially challenging to travel in since the areas of heaviest snow are often times hard to predict and random, leading to drivers not being able to avoid the whiteout conditions that could happen. With lake effect snow, travel conditions can range from blinding snow and the potential for temporary road closures to sunny over a span of a few miles.

Throughout the week of Thanksgiving, two major pushes, or waves, of cold air are expected to move into the eastern half of the U.S. With the second push of cold air, strong northwesterly winds are again expected to be present over the Great Lakes from Tuesday night (11/21) to Wednesday night (11/22). This will most likely cause some more lake effect snow to form as the cold air passes over the relatively warm water. However, there is still uncertainty as to the extent or intensity of that round of lake-effect snow, since we're still around a week out from these dates. Anyone driving through the higher terrain in West Virginia, western Maryland and western and northern Pennsylvania should expect locally blinding snow squalls and a quick accumulation on roads.

Graphics Credit: The Weather Channel

As for temperatures, they are projected to be around 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit below normal for this time of year during multiple days next week (Thanksgiving week) from the Midwest to the Northeast. To add to that, winds will be strong at times making it feel cooler than it actually is.

As a note: the west and northwest United States should expect to see round after round of showers and thunderstorms throughout the Thanksgiving Day week, which will most likely hinder travel and delay flights around those areas.  

More details will arise later in the week in regards to forecasts of the weather over the course of Thanksgiving week, however motorists and airline passengers should anticipate delays and be ready to adjust their travel plans during the week of Thanksgiving, depending on where they live. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!