Two storms loom over next week’s Thanksgiving holiday with the potential to cause delays during the busiest travel period of the year, when close to 82 million Americans are expected to take to the road, rail or sky.
The first storm system is expected to develop next Monday, Nov. 24, and bring rain to the southern Plains as it tracks into the Southeast and potentially the mid-Atlantic or Northeast through Tuesday.
According to AAA, next Tuesday afternoon is supposed to be one of the most congested periods on the roads before Thanksgiving Day itself.
While the exact track of this first system is still coming into focus, long-range forecasts appear to be in good agreement that the South will see several days of rain which could cause delays at airports like Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Whether the mid-Atlantic or Northeast see significant storm impacts remains something of an open question.
Travelers wait in line for departures at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) on December 1, 2024 in Romulus, Michigan. Getty Images
Meanwhile, a second storm system will bring rain and colder conditions to the Pacific Northwest next Monday and is expected to dive across the country by midweek.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, an area from Missouri to Texas will likely see some rain on Wednesday into Thanksgiving Day, with the potential for snow where colder air is able to take hold.
People head down an escalator at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on one of the busiest travel days of the year on November 26, 2024 in New York City. Getty Images
“Early long-range guidance leans toward more rain than snow, but confidence is low when it comes to the exact setup or severity.”
Meanwhile, the West, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and much of the Southeast are expected to have dry conditions on Thanksgiving Day.
East Coast Thanksgiving Day parades will also likely enjoy the last bits of the unseasonable warmth, which is currently bringing spring-like temperatures across the South ahead of a colder winter pattern that long-range forecasts believe will arrive just in time to usher in December.
