Winter storm may impact Thanksgiving travel plans: What it means for Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – There’s no place like home for the holidays, but forecasters say your trip over the river and through the woods this Thanksgiving could be impacted by a brewing winter storm.

The brunt of the storm could slam parts of New York state through Virginia with accumulating snow, strong winds, and winter-like temps, but the Philadelphia isn’t off the hook. Forecasters believe the storm could send some much-needed rain our way from Wednesday night to Friday with daytime temperatures in the 50s and 60s.

AAA predicts that 80M Americans will travel this Thanksgiving, over 70M of whom are expected to travel by car. That number, AAA says, “surpasses pre-pandemic numbers when 70.6 million people drove to their Thanksgiving destinations in 2019.”

Will Philly see snow?

Forecasters aren’t currently projecting any snowfall in Philadelphia or its suburbs. While weather models are still taking shape, the possibility of measurable snow is expected to stay to the far west of Pennsylvania late this week, including Pittsburgh and Williamsport. 

Only 1-3 inches is currently being forecasted in those areas, while parts of West Virginia and neighboring states could see a foot of snow. Forecasters agree that cold air from the Great Lakes could create “lake effect” snow in New York, but that will depend on just how cold temperatures drop.

“There is uncertainty in the magnitude of the cold air, which could impact precipitation type and snow totals for some locations,” the agency said in a post on Facebook.

Travel forecast

This graphic shows the forecast rain totals in the Northeast. (FOX Weather)

Whether you’re staying local or taking a multi-state road trip in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, you could experience some minor travel hazards late this week. The weather service says Philly travelers should be on the lookout for pockets of rain starting Wednesday night and continuing into Thursday morning. 

The threat will lessen as the weekend approaches with the possibility of a stray shower on Friday afternoon. Temperatures throughout the week will drop into the 50s and bottom out in the upper 30s at nighttime.

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