With one of the busiest Thanksgiving travel seasons anticipated in years, forecasters are cautioning travellers about impending stormy weather that may disrupt flights and lengthy road trips leading up to the holiday. AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham warns that rain, thunderstorms, and winds from an approaching storm system are poised to sweep across various parts of the country between Sunday and Wednesday.
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Lingering effects on the holiday itself are also possible, as reported to USA TODAY. “The start of the potential for impactful weather in the form of severe thunderstorms really begins to ramp up during the afternoon and evening (Sunday) across the Southern Plains and by the end of the day on Monday going to slide eastward into the Southern United States, then Tuesday across Southeast,” Buckingham said.
AAA, the authority on holiday travel, forecasts that 55.4 million Americans will embark on journeys exceeding 50 miles for Thanksgiving from November 22 to November 26. This marks the third-highest volume of Thanksgiving travel since 2000, surpassed only by the years 2005 and 2019. AAA’s analysis predicts that the majority of these travellers, approximately 49.1 million, will opt for road travel.
The Transportation Security Administration anticipates screening over 30 million passengers. Early travellers on Monday, particularly those traversing the Eastern Seaboard and Great Lakes region, may experience relief from heavy rain and thunderstorms, potentially avoiding the heavier traffic and delays expected later in the week, according to Buckingham.
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“A pre-Thanksgiving storm may bring travel impacts from the central to the eastern U.S. early next week,” the National Weather Service said in an advisory. “Areas of severe thunderstorms, gusty winds, heavy rain and heavy snow are all possible”
Buckingham anticipates that most parts of the country will experience milder weather on Thanksgiving Day and the following days. Those planning to visit ski resorts in the interior western states, including Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, can anticipate favorable conditions on Thursday and Friday, with the potential for mountain snow.
Showers and Thunderstorms on the Horizon for the Southern Region
The most significant weather impacts on Monday are projected for the southern tier of the United States, encompassing Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, as indicated by Buckingham. Gradually moving eastward into Tuesday, the storm system presents a risk of severe weather, including thunderstorms, in various parts of the South.
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Rain may cause travel disruptions in the East
During the day, expect a ‘shield of steady rain‘ accompanied by winds to encroach upon the Northeast. Tuesday night and Wednesday morning could prove crucial for major hubs in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, experiencing heavy rain from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
“That could definitely slow down travel by road or by air during the day on Tuesday,” he said.
From northeastern Pennsylvania through northern New England, the onset of rainfall late Tuesday and Wednesday may encounter sufficient cold air, leading to slippery road conditions with a mix of ice and snow, as reported by AccuWeather.