Snow to slam US as winter storms to wreak havoc ahead of Thanksgiving travel

A powerful winter storm is set to blast portions of the U.S. with heavy snow, cold temperatures, strong winds and rain just as millions of people across the country prepare to travel for Thanksgiving.

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The first widespread winter storm of the season is actually the second in a pair of storms set to sweep across the U.S. this week.

The first storm system has the potential to produce severe weather, including possible tornadoes, in portions of the southern and central Plains on Sunday and Monday, while torrential rain is leading to fears of flooding.

The southern Plains has been no stranger to heavy precipitation over the past few weeks. The FOX Forecast Center says that since the start of November, 3-12 inches of rain has fallen across the region. 

It has certainly helped the drought situation, but more rain has forecasters concerned that flash flooding could occur.

Winter storm to impact Thanksgiving travel

The FOX Forecast Center says that the second storm could have a more widespread impact, especially as people plan on traveling ahead of Thanksgiving.

A powerful low pressure system is expected to form in the Ohio River Valley and Great Lakes region and will rapidly develop as the first storm system exits the U.S. to the north into Canada.

The FOX Forecast Center says that this new low will significantly intensify as it spins over the Great Lakes later this week, bringing the threat of high winds across the region into the eastern U.S.

As the storm drifts off into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast toward the end of the week, trailing winds are expected to bring in enough cold air to support a large band of snow somewhere in the Ohio River Valley.

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The coldest air will be on the southern side of the system and blow into the Appalachian Mountains.

It’s that area, the FOX Forecast Center said, that snowfall is possible across portions of the inland Ohio Valley, the northern mid-Atlantic, and the interior Northeast by the end of the week into the weekend.

However, forecasters say there is still substantial uncertainty about the amount of cold air available for snow.

There’s also the threat of lake-effect snow, but will be hit-or-miss depending on how the low pressure system tracks, the FOX Forecast Center added.

As it stands now, the air may be too warm to support lake-effect snow, but be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted to any changes in the forecast.