Millions of Americans are hitting the road and boarding flights over the Thanksgiving holiday, and — unlike earlier this week — the weather is set to mostly cooperate.
The worst is over from a storm that brought bad weather to the central and eastern United States early this week, with the exception of portions of the Northeast. There, AccuWeather says bad weather may continue into Wednesday afternoon.
Early travelers in New England especially could see weather impacts, according to AccuWeather. Up to 8 inches of snow is expected in parts of northern Maine Wednesday and “blustery” conditions could deepen in the Northeast, the National Weather Service said.
“By Thanksgiving morning, the low-pressure system will largely move off the East Coast, bringing clearing skies just in time for Thanksgiving festivities,” the weather service said.
And travelers in the West should keep an eye on a winter storm around the Rockies, the weather service warned.
55 million travelers expected
Relatively clear conditions in wide swaths of the nation are welcome, given that more than 55 million people will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the American Automobile Association. That’s a bump of more than 2% over last year, making it the third-highest amount of travel over Thanksgiving since 2000. Most of those travelers will be driving, AAA says.
What’s the weather forecast for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The weather for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City looks good, forecasters said. The weather will be a “solid 7 out of 10” with sunny to partly cloudy conditions, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dave Dombek said.
Temperatures will be in the mid-40s during the parade, the weather service said. In addition, “expect a northwest wind in the early morning around 10 to 15 mph,” which will bring the wind chill down into the upper 30s as the parade gets underway.
The winds will not be strong enough to ground the famed parade balloons, Dombek said.
A nip in the air
Americans across much of the country might notice a nip in the air by the holiday and through the weekend, as forecasters are predicting below-average temperatures. In the central and southern Plains, temperatures could be up to 10 to 20 degrees colder than usual, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
For example, that translates into highs only in the 20s by Friday in Minneapolis, the 30s in Kansas City and 40s in Oklahoma City, the weather service said.
Snowstorm for the Rockies
Elsewhere, the holiday will bring moderate to heavy snow Thursday and Friday in the Rockies, the weather service said. Much of Colorado and Utah are expected to see accumulating snow Thanksgiving evening and into the next morning, while parts of Wyoming could see a foot of snow by Friday evening.
AccuWeather meteorologist Emma Belscher said, “snow is expected to start in the northern Rockies on Thanksgiving Day but spread southeastward into Friday and Saturday, encompassing most of the southern Rockies.”
The major airline hub of Denver will see some snow, AccuWeather said, with 2-4 inches likely in the city. The airport is forecast to see up to 3 inches on Thanksgiving Day, the weather service said.
In addition, mountain passes along Interstate 70 through Colorado are likely to pick up accumulating snow, leading to slippery conditions, AccuWeather said.