It's that time of year when airports and highways are so crowded as hosts of travelers make their annual turkey-and-stuffing pilgrimage. The pre-Thanksgiving storm may make travel more difficult for many with some areas recording severe thunderstorms, gusty winds, heavy rain and even snow at some higher elevations.
A storm system developing over the central United States on Monday morning will send “a wave of stormy weather across the eastern two-thirds of the country over the next two days,” forecasters at the Weather Prediction Center said.
Whether it's wintry precipitation or just plain wet weather, a storm system could impact travel during one of the busiest travel days of the year, as millions take to the skies to break bread with family and friends.
The Transportation Security Administration expects about 30 million passengers to travel between the Friday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which represents an 11.5 percent increase over last year. In the New York area alone, which may be on track for stormy weather, the four major airports expect 3.1 million passengers to arrive through Monday of next week.
About 49.1 million people are expected to drive to their destinations on Thanksgiving, representing a 1.7 percent increase from 2022, according to AAA. The busiest ground travel days are expected to be the Wednesday and Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Amtrak said another 750,000 will travel by rail during the seven-day period that began Sunday.
Here's when to expect the weather and where it could impact those travel plans.
Severe storms in the south
Five suspected tornadoes were spotted Monday night — one in northern Louisiana and four in central Mississippi — as of 8:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
There were no immediate reports of possible tornadoes causing severe damage. But meteorologists warned Monday evening that rain and thunderstorms could cause flash flooding from central Louisiana across much of central Mississippi.
The threat of severe storms is expected to ease on Tuesday, but an isolated tornado could occur from Georgia to North Carolina and North Carolina, forecasters said.
Wind, rain and some wintry weather in the Northeast
Widespread showers and thunderstorms extending from the south into the Midwest may occur on Tuesday as the storm system moves quickly toward the northeast in the evening hours.
On Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged caution ahead of Thanksgiving as “extreme winter weather” is expected to impact holiday travel plans across western New York and the North Country.
While those previous forecasts may have hinted at some winter weather disturbances this week, the impact does not appear to be severe.
Some areas may be cold enough to support some wet snow over the upper Midwest early Tuesday, arriving east toward inland parts of New England by Tuesday night. Some freezing rain is also possible, especially at higher elevations.
Major metro areas along the East Coast will see rain and wind mainly from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning. Such weather would only cause minor air traffic disruption on a typical day, but its combination with an increase in holiday travel volume means there is a chance of longer delays Tuesday night and Wednesday morning at major airports in the Northeast.
Most of the unsettled weather will move off the East Coast by Wednesday afternoon, leaving Thanksgiving Day quiet across much of the U.S. — and giving people something to be thankful for, even if it's a little delayed.
Steven Moeti And Rebecca Carballo Contributed to reports.
