Thanksgiving Weather Update: Will It Snow? Foul Forecast Looms Over Busy Travel Week

Forecasters say it will likely be a “wet” and “unsettled” Thanksgiving and holiday weekend for many in the United States this year

Some portions of the United States may see “a White Thanksgiving” as winter weather pushes across the country for the week of Thanksgiving, which may cause some “messy” travel, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC).

It will likely be a “wet” and “unsettled” Thanksgiving and holiday weekend for many, especially for those on the East Coast, per the WPC.

After a “brief period of freezing rain” pushes through northern New England on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 26, the National Weather Service (NWS) predicts dry conditions will last in the Northeast through the morning of Thursday, Nov. 28.

But wet weather will resume in the region late Thursday and last into Friday, which “could bring widespread wintry precipitation” to the area.

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The weather system “will bring widespread precipitation from the Southeast into the Northeast,” per the WPC. Some portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast may see a mix of rain and snow, while cold rain is expected closer to the coast.

The greatest potential for heavy and wet snow is in the higher elevation of the Adirondack Mountains, Green Mountains, White Mountains and interior portions of Maine.

On the West Coast, heavy snow “is probable” at higher elevations through the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 27. The WPC said snow totals in the region could reach three feet, though some localized areas could see as much as six feet of accumulation.

Portions of the Great Basin will see snow as well, with about one to two feet of snow expected in the Intermountain West and Colorado Rockies “over the next couple of days.” Some isolated areas could see as much as four feet of snow.

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Meanwhile, forecasters said a low pressure system is currently moving through the Great Lakes into southern Canada that “will generate several inches of snow over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan” on Wednesday, as well.

This weather system will drive a cold front through the southern plains and Southeast before rebounding north midweek, “bringing the threat of record high temperatures across south-central and southeast Texas” as a result, according to the WPC.

The Midwest and Great Lakes will likely see below average temperatures, but remain “seasonably cold.” Meanwhile, the WPC said warm temperatures are expected across Florida “through the foreseeable future.”

After the holiday, Arctic air from the northern Rockies will move to the east, bringing “some of the coldest air of the season so far.”

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It will also create “a favorable setup for significant lake effect snow” east and southeast of the Great Lakes. Travel disruptions are likely between Cleveland, Ohio, and Syracuse, N.Y.

Parts of the Upper Midwest could see “dangerously cold wind chills” from the combination of wind and cold temperatures, with high temperatures in the single digits to teens in some areas that “will pose an increased risk of hypothermia” to those outside.

Additionally, “a streak of light precipitation” is possible in the Plains, Midwest and Ohio Valley on Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30.