Thanksgiving weather forecast maps show snowstorms, winter cold fronts could cause travel chaos
A messy spell of winter weather continued to dominate Thanksgiving forecasts, with a mix of rain and snow materializing in different areas across the United States. Storms could potentially impact travel plans, particularly for people in eastern parts of the country and parts of the Mountain West. The latter began the holiday feeling the effects of an "Arctic blast" that broke out overnight Wednesday into Thursday.
Map of the Thanksgiving weather forecast for 2024
The weather system that earlier in the week caused chaos across western states had traveled eastward, as expected, and arrived on cue Thanksgiving Day with heavy snowfall in interior sections of the northeastern U.S. Some places in upstate New York had already received more than half a foot of snow by mid-morning, according to the National Weather Service.
"A mix of rain, snow and sleet are slated for most of the day across the Northeast," said CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan early Thursday.
Nolan had said Tuesday that forecasting models indicated the Interstate 95 corridor, which runs along the East Coast from Miami to the Canadian border with Maine, would likely see varying amounts of rain as the storm system closed in on the East Coast. In New York City, the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade went ahead as scheduled despite the forecast, and packed crowds of spectators donned ponchos and umbrellas as they gathered to watch the show.
The storm was on track to pick up throughout the day Thursday. Forecasters predicted it would bring between 1 and 3 inches of rain to the Northeast and between 5 and 10 inches of snow to certain areas through Sunday. The Great Lakes region were bracing for much more significant buildup — potentially as much as 2 feet of snow.
Winter storm warnings, storm watches and weather advisories were in effect across the interior Northeast and parts of the Midwest on Thanksgiving, with each set to remain in place until at least the end of the week and many through the weekend. Forecasters said parts of Maine and New Hampshire could see as much as 10 inches of snowfall between Thursday and Friday, potentially interrupting travel.
"Persons should delay all travel if possible. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution and be prepared for sudden changes in visibility," the National Weather Service office in Gray, Maine, said Wednesday afternoon. "Leave plenty of room between you and the motorist ahead of you, and allow extra time to reach your destination. Avoid sudden braking or acceleration, and be especially cautious on hills or when making turns. Make sure your car is winterized and in good working order."
Temperatures were expected to drop across a majority of the U.S., with northern places like Minneapolis preparing for extreme cold.
Although chilly conditions were initially forecast to spare southeastern states, Nolan said Wednesday a cold front attached to the wintry storm system was threatening most of that region with possible tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail.
The storm is expected to move out after the holiday, but lake-effect snow showers were forecast to linger in the Northeast through the weekend.
Where will winter storms hit hardest for Thanksgiving?
Winter weather advisories were in place for northern Michigan where forecasters at the National Weather Service warned Thursday up to 13 inches of additional snowfall could accumulate in some places over the next few days. Advisories were set to remain active through Sunday morning.
"Travel could be very difficult to impossible at times," the weather service in Marquette, Michigan, wrote in an advisory issued on Thanksgiving Day. "The hazardous conditions will impact Thanksgiving holiday travel."
Warnings were also issued in upstate New York, where forecasters in Buffalo said up to one foot of snow could accumulate in the coming days, potentially interrupting travel. In Michigan, forecasts showed up to 7 inches of snowfall in northern parts of the state, and advised people to prepare for slippery roads that may make for hazardous travel on Friday.
Will winter storms impact Thanksgiving travel?
Winter storms affected multiple interstate highways Thursday, including I-95, I-91, I-90, I-89, I-86, I-81 and I-80.
Estimates suggest an unprecedented number of people are crowding roads and airports because of the holiday, as figures reported by AAA showed 80 million were expected to travel at least 50 miles in a seven-day period that started Tuesday. If the calculation holds up, it would set a new Thanksgiving record.
How weather forecasts could complicate the anticipated congestion became a focal point of Thanksgiving news coverage, as the major storm tied to an atmospheric river originating in the West affected huge chunks of the country, from the western Rocky Mountains to the East Coast.
"We've been talking about it basically on repeat since Friday: storms on the West Coast, storms in the Northeast, and now a storm in the Mountain West," said CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave, reporting from LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, on Tuesday. "So airports from San Francisco to Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Denver, and here in the Northeast, D.C. to Boston, could all see delays today as these various storm systems are moving around. A lot to watch."
The Federal Aviation Administration said 50,000 flights were scheduled Tuesday, Van Cleave reported, noting the agency expects air travel to be even busier Wednesday and Sunday.
Where will it snow on Thanksgiving?
Forecasters said below-average temperatures in the Northeast — especially in interior areas — and in the Northern Plains could determine whether individual locations in the region are hit with rain or snow. Meanwhile, arctic air was settling over the western two-thirds of the country after weather service records suggested sections of central and northern Colorado, as well as southern Wyoming, received upwards of 2 feet of snow Wednesday into Thursday.
Leading up to Thanksgiving Day, forecasters at the Weather Prediction Center said heavy snow across the southern Sierra Nevada, Intermountain West and Central Rockies earlier in the week will be followed by snow showers across the Great Lakes toward the Northeast.
As temperatures ticked downward over the Northern Plains ahead of the holiday, the weather prediction center said a series of disturbances over the Central U.S. would "facilitate an arctic outbreak across the region" overnight Wednesday into Thanksgiving.
