Thanksgiving travelers will face rain, wind and cold

Mother Nature is preparing to bring cold and wet weather ahead of Thanksgiving this year, setting the stage for some travel woes and a chilly Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

While the week started out sunny in the city, Tuesday turned rainy with highs above 50 degrees and later in the day a cold front swept across the tri-state area, according to the Weather Channel. Those leaving New York early faced some headaches and airport delays due to low clouds and light precipitation, but nothing in the sky caused widespread travel problems.

Wednesday’s weather should prove better for travel as skies will be sunny again across much of the Northeast. Temperatures in New York are expected to peak at around 50 degrees, while lows will be around 30 degrees by the end of the day.

A low-pressure storm system is expected to dump rain on parts of the Southeast on Thursday before moving northeast, bringing windy weather and cool conditions across much of the East Coast. Rain is forecast for New York for Thanksgiving Day, starting in the early morning hours and continuing through the afternoon.

A high of 45 degrees is forecast for the city, but strong gusts that will occur as the storm system moves away from the coast could make it feel colder, forecasters warned. Although the whipping winds will hit later this afternoon, they could still cause problems for the giant inflatable balloons featured in the annual holiday parade.

“The system doesn’t look like a power plant right now,” said Hayden Frank, a meteorologist with the weather service in Massachusetts. “Generally, it will rain along the I-95 corridor, so travelers should prepare for wet weather. Unless the system gets significantly colder, it looks like rain.”

However, parts of northern New Hampshire, northern Maine and the Adirondacks have a chance of snow Thursday.

Chilly conditions are expected to continue through Black Friday and into the weekend, with much of the East Coast experiencing some of the coldest temperatures since last winter. In New York, lows are expected to be in the 30s, while temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will be in the 20s.

With News Wire Services

Originally published: November 26, 2024 at 12:38 pm EST