Northeast winter storm threatens Thanksgiving Day plans with snow as coldest air of season looms

Travel will kick into high gear across the U.S. as tens of millions of people prepare to head out for the Thanksgiving holiday. And while the FOX Forecast Center expects some potential disruptions at the beginning and toward the middle of the week, bigger issues may arise for those journeys back home – especially in the Northeast.

‘Tis the season.

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The FOX Forecast Center said that at the beginning of this week, a weak storm system is expected to bring rain from parts of the Southeast into the Northeast.

Significant travel disruptions aren’t expected with this low-impact storm, and the FOX Forecast Center expects any winter weather to be confined near the Canadian border and in the Great Lakes region.

Meanwhile, with warmer temperatures remaining in the East, heavy rain should fall along the heavily traveled Interstate 95 corridor. But this is by no means a dealbreaker when it comes to Thanksgiving travel.

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Thanksgiving winter storm looming?

At the same time, the FOX Forecast Center said a more impactful storm system will be working through the Intermountain West, which could lead to snow-covered roads and delays at major airports across that region. 

But of greater concern to residents and visitors in the eastern U.S., the FOX Forecast Center said it will be tracking a winter storm that could impact millions of people in the Northeast and New England starting on Wednesday and lasting through the weekend.

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On the warm side of the storm, there’s the potential for heavy precipitation and maybe some severe weather throughout the Tennessee Valley and into the mid-Atlantic that could cause problems on Thanksgiving Day.

While more rain is expected along the I-95 corridor, concerns are starting to grow that heavy snow could significantly impact travel on Thanksgiving Day and after the holiday.

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The FOX Forecast Center says there is an increasing likelihood that those in the Northeast who were impacted by last week’s winter storm will face another significant snowstorm, particularly from Thanksgiving Day into Black Friday.

Forecasters said this brewing storm and its impacts will likely linger into next weekend and could affect travel, whether by car or airplane.

Additionally, the season’s first heavy lake-effect snow event could also occur in the Great Lakes region by next weekend and early next week.

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Bitter blast of cold weather

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It’s not only the snow and rain that could make those return trips home disappointing.

The FOX Forecast Center expects some of the coldest air of the season to invade the U.S. from Canada in the days after Thanksgiving and into the start of December.

Below-average temperatures are expected across a large swath of the U.S., with parts of the northern Plains expected to plunge maybe as far as -10 degrees.

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And if you factor in the wind chill, it may feel even colder.

Be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted to any changes in the forecast that could impact your travel plans.