‘Waves Of Snow’ Could Impact Thanksgiving Travel, Weather Service Says

CHICAGO — Thanksgiving travelers beware: A storm is brewing on the horizon.

Potential “waves of snow” could move over Chicago starting Tuesday night through Thursday, the Thanksgiving holiday. The storm could affect travel in the broader Great Lakes region in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and on the holiday itself, according to the National Weather Service. 

The exact location and intensity of the storm system has yet to be determined three days out, National Weather Service meteorologist David King said. 

“There’s still a lot of uncertainty with it,” King said. “With what we’ve been seeing in the models, it’s really kind of difficult to be able to pinpoint … where the focus is going to be, but there’s at least this kind of consistent signature we’ve been seeing where we’re expecting some sort of winter storm to happen.”

The Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving are considered the busiest travel days of the year.

Some of the signs that indicate a winter storm include a combination of below or near-freezing temperatures along with increased levels of moisture in the atmosphere, King said. Temperatures will drop into the 30s and lower by Tuesday night.

Monday will see temperatures in the 40s and 50s, with some rain in the early hours of the morning.

Thanksgiving travelers must make contingency plans in case the storm rolls directly over the region, whether Chicagoans are “crossing the country or just down the street,” King said. Highways and airports spanning from eastern Iowa to western Ohio could be adversely affected by the winter storm threat, he dsaid.

The interstates that could be impacted by the storm system include I-35, I-39, I-55, I-57, I-65, I-69, I-70, I-74, I-80, I-88, I-90 and I-94, according to the National Weather Service.

“It’s still a little bit of a wait and see,” King said. “We want to make sure that as people are preparing that they have any supplies that they need to have [in case of the storm]. Do they have to adjust their plans just to stay in touch with the forecast as they’re making their plans?”

The system will usher in colder temperatures in the coming weeks, with temperatures dropping into the teens by Thursday night.

Chicago saw its first snow of the season Thursday, when nearly three inches of snow fell at O’Hare Airport.

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