How snow could impact Thanksgiving travel in the Northeast this week

As millions of Americans travel for Thanksgiving, some of them could be affected by the storm that will hit the Northeast on Thursday.

During the Thanksgiving travel season between Tuesday, November 26th and Monday, December 2nd, AAA expects 79.9 million travelers to travel 50 miles or more during this time.

However, a storm rising from California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on Tuesday is expected to move toward the Rocky Mountains and eventually bring stormy conditions as far east as Maine by Thursday, AccuWeather reported.

“There are many variables we are still analyzing with this storm, with track and intensity being key to where the rain and snow line will form and how much snow will fall across the Midwest and Northeast,” AccuWeather Chef-On said Air meteorologist Bernie Rayno said in the report.

According to AccuWeather, the storm is expected to move eastward into the Rocky Mountains and High Plains on Wednesday after dumping “several” feet of snow and likely causing road closures along Interstate 80 and Donner Pass in California. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and later the Atlantic Ocean is expected to fuel the storm as it reaches the East Coast.

“How much the storm strengthens to the east will determine not only how far north it moves, but also the approximate boundary between rain and snow and whether the snow has difficulty accumulating or accumulates so much that travel becomes slippery Rayno added.

As the storm strengthens, it could move north, bringing more snow to parts of the Midwest and eastern Great Lakes, while also bringing moderate to heavy snowfall to northern New England, AccuWeather wrote.

Central New England could see 3 inches of snow in higher elevations, according to the National Weather Service. Other parts of the Northeast – Pennsylvania, New York – could see fragmented snowfall, with the snow also only found at higher elevations.

According to the National Weather Service office in Philadelphia/Mount Holly, some parts of the East Coast are expected to experience precipitation around 12 p.m. Thursday. Rain is expected at this time, with higher elevation areas such as the southern Poconos and Sussex County in New Jersey experiencing light or mixed snow

“There may still be some wet snow in the north and west early this morning for Thanksgiving, but a transition to light rain is expected as temperatures rise,” meteorologists wrote. “As for the accumulation in these areas, it generally looks like a squishy coating for up to a centimeter or two before the transition occurs. Overall, we can expect a wet and dreary day with rain, which will be heavy at times.”

Likewise, the Albany office of the National Weather Service expects snowfall to reach 1,500 feet. Wet snow could occur at lower elevations, but forecasters expect a 40 to 70 percent chance of 4 inches or more of snow at higher elevations, “with the highest totals in the southern Greens and southern Adirondacks before precipitation arrives late.” It largely stops on Thursday evening.” .”

New York City, where the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will soon take place, is expected to experience “heavy rain that may reduce visibility and cause puddling on streets and highways,” according to AccuWeather, and temperatures will drop to 48 degrees. Forecasters expect less than an inch of precipitation, but it is likely to rain within 12 hours.

Higher areas of southern New England are also expected to see “snow mixing with rain, with the possibility of snow accumulation at elevations above 1,000 feet,” forecasters at the National Weather Service in Boston said.

In higher elevation locations, such as the Berkshires, there is an 80% to 90% chance of 1 inch of snow accumulating and a 40% to 50% chance of 3 inches accumulating, forecasters say. Snowfall in higher elevations could impact travel, The Weather Channel said Tuesday.

In Maine, National Weather Service forecasters expect stormy conditions to move south on Thanksgiving.

“As a result, our confidence in measurable snowfall inland areas has increased,” meteorologists from Gray’s office wrote.

Southern and coastal areas should see a period of wet snow before quickly turning to rain Thursday morning. Snowfall of 15 cm or more is expected mostly in the mountains, with a 50% to 70% chance of happening on Thursday, forecasters said.