Thanksgiving Week Travel Weather
If you're hitting the road for the busiest travel week of the year, the weather doesn't look too terribly bad for much of the country. In fact, Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day itself are pretty quiet from coast to coast. The other big story will be the mild temperatures seen across the country through the week.
Breaking it down by sections, let's start with a look at the Northeast and New England. Early Wednesday, a departing cold front will bring a chance of rain for far eastern New England, as well as a slight chance of a little lake effect snow shower activity. None of the precipitation looks heavy or overly concerning aside from far eastern Massachusetts and Maine. Thanksgiving looks quiet for the most part at this time. Temperatures will be mild along the coast on Wednesday, but colder air will be in place inland. Thanksgiving Day looks cooler for everyone.
Jumping to the Southeast, the weather looks quiet as well. A front will clear the entire region aside from Florida by Tuesday night. That will set the stage for a pair of great days Wednesday and Thursday for each state not named Florida. A stalled out boundary will likely keep scattered showers and thunderstorms across much of the Florida Peninsula both for Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day. Temperatures will be mild to warm from far southern Texas and far southern Louisiana through southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, much of Georgia, eastern South Carolina, and eastern North Carolina. Florida will be enjoying plenty of 70s and 80s. Thanksgiving will remain mild to warm across the Sunshine State, but temperatures elsewhere look cooler, but no unbearably cold. Western Oklahoma and Texas begin to warm up significantly Thanksgiving with widespread 70s!
For the Midwest and Northern Plains, the weather once again looks quiet both Wednesday and Thursday. A few flakes are possible on Wednesday across northern Michigan, and in parts of northern Minnesota and North Dakota. Amounts will be minuscule. Thanksgiving looks dry area-wide. Temperatures will be chilly on Wednesday with plenty of 30s and lower 40s. The Western High Plains will be substantially warmer in the 50s and 60s. Thanksgiving Day looks slightly milder with plenty of upper 30s and 40s. Much of Missouri, parts of Iowa, parts of North Dakota, and nearly all of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas will be much warmer in the 50s and 60s!
Heading out west, the weather looks much more active. The Pacific Northwest will be active with mountain snow and lower elevation rain on both Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day. Some snow totals could be quite impressive in the highest of elevations. Otherwise, dry weather is expected with plenty of mild to warm air in the lower elevations across the West. Parts of Southern California and Arizona could reach 90 degrees!
Overall, the weather pattern is looking rather quiet and inactive if you're not traveling to the Pacific Northwest or Florida. Happy and safe travels!