Inclement Weather Will Test Holiday Travelers Over the Coming Days

The day before the Thanksgiving holiday is usually one of the most heavily-traveled days of the year and that is no exception this year. With inclement weather across the U.S., however, getting to that hearty family meal (and the all-important leftovers) will be a hassle for some of the anticipated 55 million travelers over the next few days.

Two major low-pressure systems are already testing the nerve of travelers over the coming holiday. First, a strong surface low is tracking across the Great Lakes region on Wednesday and is expected to arrive in New England by the evening. Strong winds combined with snow and icing will hamper air and road travel throughout the northern continental U.S.

At the time of this posting, delays in Minneapolis are averaging one hour and nineteen minutes due to the traffic management program enforced by the FAA for snow and ice. Newark is seeing delays of 50 minutes and Chicago (O’Hare) is experiencing taxi delays ranging from 16-30 minutes.

Out west, a very deep low-pressure system reached the Oregon coast on Tuesday evening with a record central pressure (for November) near 970mb. This system brings the possibility for blizzard conditions in the Sierra Nevadas and heavy snow for much of Colorado with anticipated totals of one to three feet.

In the southeast, there remains a chance showers and thunderstorms ahead of the eastward moving cold front and rain totals of one-half inch are possible.

Force Thirteen wishes everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. To receive the most-timely weather information for your travels, please monitor your local NWS WFO as well as our social media feeds: @ForceThirteen and @ForceThirteenUS on Twitter.