Here’s where winter storms could impact Thanksgiving travel
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Here’s where winter storms could impact Thanksgiving travel

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Topline

Winter storm warnings for Thanksgiving week stretch from California to the East Coast, and the possibility of snow — particularly in the Northeast — could impact plans as travel is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels for the first time.

Important facts

A cold front is expected to sweep across the Midwest and South starting Wednesday night and move eastward on Thanksgiving Day, bringing precipitation and freezing temperatures.

Winter storms hit the Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada on Tuesday and moved into Colorado and Utah on Wednesday, where up to 36 inches of snow is expected to fall in parts of the mountains by evening and up to 4 inches could fall in the Denver metropolitan area.

The storm is expected to move further east, moving into the Midwest and Ohio Valley, where there could be up to an inch of snow, and then into the Northeast, where low pressure systems near New England pose a threat Widespread rain and snow will occur Thursday through Friday morning.

Snowfall Thursday and into Friday is possible in northern New York and Vermont, and high-altitude rain and snow may occur in northwestern Connecticut, western Massachusetts and eastern New York on Thanksgiving.

A winter storm watch is in effect late Thursday through Friday morning across western New York, the eastern Catskills, parts of Vermont and Delaware, and extends to the Eastern Lake Onatrio region from Friday afternoon through Monday.

Anyone driving in areas from Boston to New York City should be prepared for a wet ride, be it snow or heavy rain.

A cold snap the weekend after Thanksgiving is bringing frigid weather across the Midwest and Northeast Great Lakes, with high temperatures topping 20°C expected in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.

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What you should pay attention to

How the weather affects travel. Nearly 80 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles between Tuesday and next Monday for the holidays. Car traffic is expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels — in 2019, 70.6 million people drove to their Thanksgiving destinations, according to AAA, and this year the number is expected to reach 71.7 million. Nearly 6 million people are expected to fly domestically, up 11% from 2019, and international bookings are up 23% compared to last Thanksgiving. According to AAA, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons are the worst time to drive, and congestion on the roads is also expected most of the day on Sunday, especially after 1 p.m

Surprising fact

It’s been five years since Thanksgiving brought seriously destructive winter weather to parts of the United States. In 2019, a bomb cyclone brought near-hurricane-force winds to the West Coast and rains that flooded San Diego. The day before Thanksgiving, hail fell in Los Angeles and three members of an Arizona family died after their truck was swept away in a flooded creek. The year before, in 2018, New York City experienced its coldest Thanksgiving since 1901, when temperatures in Central Park reached 19 degrees and other East Coast cities, including Washington DC, also experienced near-record temperatures.

Further reading

ForbesThanksgiving air travel hits record high as travel finally returns to pre-pandemic levelsFrom Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesThe US could have a healthy Thanksgiving – but Covid and RSV could surge before Christmas, CDC warnsFrom Mary Whitfill Roeloffs
ForbesThanksgiving shopping: A store-brand meal costs nearly $20 less than a name-brand meal, the report saysFrom Molly Bohannon

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