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Post-Thanksgiving travel could provide headaches in the East | CNN
Thanksgiving is here and whether you hit the road or took to the skies, hopefully you've made it to your destination with minimal headache. Thanks in large part to the relatively quiet weather so far this week, airlines have reported minimal delays and cancellations.
Travel
CNN
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Thanksgiving is here and whether you hit the road or took to the skies, hopefully you’ve made it to your destination with minimal headache. Thanks in large part to the relatively quiet weather so far this week, airlines have reported minimal delays and cancellations.
Unfortunately, that could change in the coming days as a more active weather pattern takes shape over the eastern US.
But first, some good news. The weather for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade looks excellent. Mostly sunny skies are in store and most importantly, the winds will remain light so there shouldn’t be any restrictions on the balloons.
Soggy Thanksgiving Day for the South
The active weather gets underway in the Southern Plains on Thanksgiving Day.
“The main area of concern heading into the Thanksgiving holiday will be the potential for a dynamic low-pressure system to impact portions of the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley with heavy rainfall, snow and thunderstorms,” the Weather Prediction Center said.
Cities including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, Tennessee, Shreveport, Louisiana, and Little Rock, Arkansas, will all experience rain and the chance for thunderstorms as we head through the day which could impact any outdoor cooking plans.
While the timing of the rain may not be the best, nearly 70% of the South continues to be in drought, so the rain will be beneficial. Widespread totals of 1 to 2 inches, with isolated higher amounts are expected from eastern Texas to Mississippi.
Rain showers will spread northward along a cold front late Thursday afternoon and into Thursday night for the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes. This rain will be more scattered and much lighter compared to the Lower Mississippi Valley.
The heavier rain from the Mississippi Valley spreads through the Deep South Thursday night and Friday morning while the light rain in the Ohio Valley spreads into the Northeast. The majority of this rain will push offshore by mid-afternoon Friday.
While the Western US will experience quiet weather for Thanksgiving Day, Southern California is expecting another Santa Ana event which will bring an elevated fire to the Los Angeles area, especially the San Gabriel Mountains into the Ventura Valley. Wind gusts are expected to top 40 mph and may even reach 60 mph in some of the higher terrain. These winds will combine with low relative humidity to produce adverse fire conditions.