- Yet another “atmospheric river” storm is poised to wallop western Washington state with rain on Thursday.
- In the central U.S., a strong cold front barreling across the region will send temperatures plummeting on Thanksgiving Day.
- By Sunday, the travel trouble spots will include the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, where some light snow is possible.
Except for waterlogged portions of the Pacific Northwest, and in parts of the central U.S., the weather should be rather tranquil on Thanksgiving Day across the country for last-minute travelers.
In the Northwest, yet another “atmospheric river” storm is poised to wallop western Washington state with rain on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
“Western Washington can expect a prolonged barrage of rich Pacific moisture, resulting in periods of moderate-to-heavy rainfall on Thanksgiving,” the Weather Service said.
It’s already been a soggy November in Seattle; rain fell on 19 of 23 days so far this month, AccuWeather said. Â
“Seattle has recorded a whopping 8.40 inches of rainfall so far in November, which is 174% of normal through Nov. 23,” AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer said.
Other than the Pacific Northwest, the vast majority of the West will enjoy a dry pattern “through Thanksgiving and into Black Friday thanks to a strengthening dome of upper-level high pressure stretching from California to the Great Plains.” the Weather Service said.Â
In the central U.S., a strong cold front barreling across the region will send temperatures plummeting on Thanksgiving Day, following a mild day on Wednesday. The front “is set to bring another intrusion of cold, Canadian air into the Midwest and southern Plains on Thanksgiving,” the Weather Service said.
Some rain will accompany the front as it swings through: By Thanksgiving morning, damp conditions are likely in the Ohio and mid-Mississippi valleys. Thunderstorms are also possible in southeast Texas and in the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Along the East Coast, Turkey Day will be on the mild side, great weather for a post-meal walk to work off some of those calories. Highs will soar well into the 50s as far north as Boston.Â
By Friday, cold air filtering behind the cold front will trigger the formation of lake-effect snow showers, but generally light accumulations are expected from the upper Great Lakes to the central Appalachians, according to the Weather Service.Â
Weather.com meteorologist Orelon Sidney said that a snow and rain mix is also likely across portions of New England on Friday.
The new blast of cold air is likely to bring the lowest temperatures of the season so far across much of the Midwest and Northeast by Friday, AccuWeather said.
For the return trip home over the weekend, by Saturday, more rain moves into Texas, Sidney said, while Seattle will still see some possible delays because of rain. Sunday, she said the trouble spots will include the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, where some light snow is possible.Â
