Winter weather is making traveling for Thanksgiving difficult, and animated weather footage from windy.com shows the effects of the bad weather for those who still have travel plans.

AAA reported that nearly 80 million Americans would travel for Thanksgiving this year. The National Weather Service (NWS) has several weather warnings and bulletins nationwide.

Current precipitation

States with sustained precipitation are primarily in the central/western U.S., with winter storm warnings remaining in effect across Colorado and eastern Utah through Wednesday evening.

According to windy.com’s animated graphic, some precipitation will also affect northern Arizona, with mostly rain falling, and northern New Mexico. Rain also falls from Kansas east across Missouri and part of central Illinois.

NWS meteorologists warned that rain could turn to snow in some areas by Wednesday evening.

“There will be a mix of rain and snow across the region today and tonight,” said a severe weather report from the NWS office in Lincoln, Illinois. “Although in most cases there will be little or no snow accumulation, there is a possibility that a narrow strip of snow somewhere north of I-70 in east central Illinois could bring at least an inch of snow. Should this happen, it could result in minor travel impacts. “

Snow accumulation

Over the next three days, the highest snow accumulations will occur in Colorado, Utah, the Northeast and the Great Lakes region. The largest amounts are likely to hit the Northeast, with several feet of lake-shaped snow expected to fall in New York starting Friday.

The impending winter weather has NWS meteorologists urging some New Yorkers to postpone travel after Thanksgiving until the storm subsides.

“Travel will be very difficult and at times almost impossible. The dangerous conditions will certainly impact the Friday evening commute,” the warning reads. “With lake effect snow, weather can vary from locally heavy bands of snow with severely reduced visibility to dry conditions just a few kilometers away. Be prepared for rapid changes in weather, visibility and road conditions.”

Snowplows may not be able to access roads during times of heavier snowfall, said NWS meteorologist David Thomas Newsweekpotentially causing roads to become impassable.

radar

Current radar images show heavy rain storms moving across the central US and Midwest starting Wednesday afternoon.

wind

The strongest winds were felt in central New Mexico on Wednesday afternoon. A wind advisory warned that gusts could reach up to 55 miles per hour in parts of the state.

The winds were caused by the remnants of an atmospheric river that hit the Pacific Northwest this week.

“Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. Use extra caution,” reads a wind advisory from the Albuquerque office.

Winds will ease over Thanksgiving and return over the weekend, NWS meteorologist Carter Greulich previously said Newsweek that wind speeds were not expected to be as strong as at the beginning of the week.

Severity of icing

An arctic blast will descend on the northern plains this week, with temperatures as cold as 40 degrees below zero in North Dakota.

As of Wednesday afternoon, one of the busiest travel days before Thanksgiving, there was a risk of icing across northern North Dakota and western Minnesota.