Many Americans’ Thanksgiving travel plans could hit a rough patch this week, as multiple storm systems are gearing up to create weather challenges across the United States.
Two distinct weather systems are poised to disrupt holiday travel, one targeting New England and the other sweeping along the West Coast, both promising to dump rain and snow that could lead to potential delays.
The Eastern system will deliver rain and gusty winds along coastal New England, coupled some with snow showers across the White and Green Mountains, according to CNN’s weather desk.
Travelers who can be flexible with their plans who are opting for road trips, rather than flying, will likely find it prudent to delay their trips until Sunday throughout most of New England.
Weekend Weather
People traveling to and from Boston on Saturday can expect to face rainy showers, intermittent bouts of fog, and wind gusts reaching up to 30 miles per hour. Relief from the more unpleasant weather will arrive on Sunday, with sunshine returning and winds decelerating to anywhere from 10 to 20 miles per hour.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast a separate weather system will arrive on Saturday, starting near Portland, Oregon and moving south down the Pacific coast to San Diego. Rainfall will also make its way east into such desert cities are Phoenix, Las Vegas and Albuquerque. Rain will also persist on Sunday in regions as far north as Seattle and far south as the Northern California port city of Eureka.
What’s more, over six million residents of a swath stretching from Southern California to southern Idaho find themselves under high-wind advisories, which are scheduled to last through Sunday. Wind speeds may reach 40 to 50 miles per hour, with gusts in mountainous areas strengthening to as much as 60 miles per hour.
“Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles and motorcycles,” the National Weather Service in Las Vegas warned. “Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.”
Sunday will see this weather system shift eastward into the Mountain West and Central Plains regions, bringing liquid and frozen precipitation to a stretch of the U.S. spanning from Washington to Colorado. Salt Lake City will initially receive showers, but those will transition into a mix of rain and snow as temperatures drop on Sunday evening.
The atmospheric focus across the Central Plains will stretch from Nebraska down to Texas, bringing rain and thunderstorms to the region.
Ground crew deicing aircraft. (photo via Chalabala/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Monday and Tuesday
Then, along the Gulf Coast, Monday will bring fresh weather woes. Specifically, this Southeastern part of the country will be threatened with the possibility of tornadoes, hail and destructive winds. As this low-pressure system intensifies and moves eastward, it will also drop rain over an expanse that spans from Minnesota to Louisiana.
For instance, in Shreveport, the likelihood of downpours increases throughout Monday, with thunderstorms making an appearance in the late afternoon and persisting into the evening.
In fact, Tuesday emerges as the day that’s likely to cause East U.S. travelers the most weather-related headaches, as the expanding low-pressure system unleashes rain and thunderstorms across the eastern half of the nation.
Major airport hubs—including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and Atlanta—face the prospect of delays and increased passenger frustrations, due to the soggy forecast.
Atlanta, in particular, could receive more than an inch of rain in under 24 hours on Tuesday, accompanied by wind gusts exceeding 30 mph throughout the day, despite the thunderstorms being primarily confined to the afternoon.
Travelers are advised to stay tuned to weather updates and consider making adjustments to their plans in anticipation of these challenges.
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