Thanksgiving Travel Weather Forecast: Back-To-Back Winter Storms For North, Rain, Storms In South, East
Where Snow and Wind Could Delay Travel Home
Thanksgiving week is here. Unfortunately, the weather may not cooperate in parts of the country, especially this weekend.
Here’s what you need to know for the weather forecast below. We also have tracking maps with current radar, National Weather Service alerts and flight delays here.
Our advice: If you’re traveling either Saturday or Sunday, be weather aware. Delays and slower traffic are expected Saturday in the central U.S. and on Sunday in the East.
(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)
Wednesday
Major airports that could be impacted: Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Rain may linger in East: For the peak travel day, showers, perhaps even a thundershower, may flare up ahead of a cold front in parts of the East that could lead to some flight delays, with the greatest chance expected at major Northeast hubs.
Great Lakes snow: Winter Storm Alston will continue to bring heavy snow and wind through at least the morning hours in the upper Mississippi Valley, including the Twin Cities metro area, making for a difficult commute and potential flight delays out of MSP International Airport. Snow and wind will also spread across much of Wisconsin, with light accumulations possible as far south as the Madison – Milwaukee corridor that could make some roads slippery. Gusty winds in the Dakotas and western Minnesota could produce blowing and drifting snow, even after snowfall is over. This could make travel dangerous with some road closures possible.
Heavy lake-effect snow and strong winds will spread from the western Great Lakes snowbelts (northern and western Michigan, northern Wisconsin) Wednesday into the eastern lake snowbelts (northeast Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, southwest New York, upstate New York) overnight Wednesday night. Expect dangerous, if not impossible, travel in some of these areas.
Northwest nuisance: A few showers are possible in the Pacific Northwest, with a chance of steadier rain at night in western Washington, including Seattle.
(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)
Thanksgiving Day’s Forecast
Thanksgiving Day
Major airports that could be impacted: Cleveland, Seattle
Lake-effect snow: Bands of heavy lake-effect snow and strong winds will continue in the Great Lakes snowbelts. Expect whiteout conditions in these narrow, localized lake-effect bands affecting stretches of Interstate 90 from Cleveland to near Buffalo, Interstate 81 near and north of Syracuse, New York, and Interstates 94 and 196 in western Michigan.
Rain and snow for Northwest: Winter Storm Bellamy will get its start in the Northern Rockies and Plains. Snow may blanket the far northern Rockies. In the Pacific Northwest, expect some showers and gusty winds in western Washington and Oregon.
(192-hours: Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)
Black Friday
Major airports that could be impacted: Dallas-Ft. Worth (late), Kansas City (late)
Another day of lake-effect snow: Lake-effect snowbands will persist, mainly in the eastern Great Lakes snowbelts, with dangerous travel likely. Some other wrap-around snow showers are possible in northern New England.
More Northern Plains snow: Snow from Winter Storm Bellamy will spread out of Montana into the Northern Plains from the Dakotas to the Missouri Valley. Friday night, that snow will spread into parts of the upper Midwest into Iowa, southern Wisconsin and western Illinois. Expect slippery, snow-covered roads in these areas.
More South storms: Showers and thunderstorms may break out Friday afternoon and night from eastern Kansas and western Missouri to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and western Louisiana. Some of those may have heavy rainfall and could lead to nighttime flight delays at Dallas-Ft. Worth and Kansas City.
Saturday
Major airports that could be impacted: Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis
Midwest wintry mess: Winter Storm Bellamy will produce widespread snow through the upper Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes. This will lead to both snow-covered, slippery roads and significant flight delays, especially at Chicago-O’Hare. Saturday night, this wintry mess will spread a bit farther east into the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes.
South storms: Thunderstorms with heavy rain, and possibly some severe weather, will rumble across the South from Oklahoma and Texas to the middle and lower Mississippi Valley. This could lead to local flash flooding and flight delays at both Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston. These areas are still waterlogged, so any new rainfall is not welcome.
Sunday
Major airports that could be impacted: Atlanta, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.
Eastern mess: While Winter Storm Bellamy will move into the East, most precipitation in the East, particularly along the Interstate 95 urban corridor, will be in the form of rain. Regardless, this could lead to significant flight delays in the major East Coast hubs.
Some snow is possible in parts of the interior Northeast and lake-effect snowbands will develop or linger in the Great Lakes snowbelts that could lead to challenging travel in some areas.
Some showers, perhaps a rumble of thunder, are possible in parts of the Southeast from Virginia and the Carolinas to the northern Gulf Coast.
Rockies snow: Some snow could develop in the central and southern Rockies. Sunday night, some of that snow could spread into the adjacent High Plains from Colorado and western Kansas to northern New Mexico and possibly parts of the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. Some showers are possible as far west as Arizona.
