Q: Which day is best for traveling – by road or air?

A: You know it will be busy out there, but Wednesday is the best day to start traveling weather-wise. There will be some snow in the Rocky Mountains and a storm system is developing. Other than that, weather concerns will be kept to a minimum on Wednesday.

Q: What is the worst day to travel?

A: Don’t shoot the messenger, but Thanksgiving Day has the worst weather of the week. This is particularly the case in the eastern United States

Yes, that includes our area. The above system will bring a healthy amount of rain eastward from the Tennessee River Valley.

Q: I’m traveling via I-40 and I-95. What awaits me on my route?

A: We don’t expect any major weather issues on Tuesday. However, there will be a brief period of rain along I-95 late morning into early afternoon.

This also applies if you are traveling east on I-40.

Wednesday will see the worst weather in the West. Keep this in mind when driving into Tennessee on I-40.

The weather along I-95 is not expected to be a major problem on Wednesday.

Q: How does this affect us locally?

A: Thanksgiving will be wet at times, but the rain will be heaviest/most widespread in the afternoon and evening. Hopefully you’ll be where you need to be by Thanksgiving. If not, just take it easy. We don’t expect flooding, but aquaplaning could become a problem.

There is a risk of level 1 severe weather/damaging gusts due to later rain.

Q: I’m hearing about the possibility of snow. Where will that be?

A: We will not see any snow locally. Surprise, surprise!

However, the further north you go, the better your chances are.

Here’s a breakdown of the chances of 1, 3 and 6 inches of snow in some major northern cities through Friday.

Q: What can we expect when we get home after Thanksgiving?

A: If you plan to fly back to North Carolina on Friday or Saturday, expect some turbulence. This is especially true if you are flying back from the north.

Winds will surround our Thanksgiving storm system. Although it’s nothing extreme, the flight can be a bit bumpy at times.

It will also be MUCH colder across the eastern US for the remainder of the holiday weekend into early next week.