Cold, wintry weather and strong winds are expected in large parts of the country Wednesday and into Thursday as millions hit the roads and take to the skies ahead of Thanksgiving.
Up to 2 feet of snow is set to to hit the Upper Midwest and 52 million people are under wind alerts from the Plains to the Great Lakes and into the Appalachians, including in major cities such as Chicago and Detroit. For the areas under these alerts, gusts are forecast to be as high as 60 mph.
Blizzard warnings are in place for 13 million people and cover parts of northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and areas east of lakes Erie and Ontario are under lake-effect snow warnings. Significant snowfall has begun and blizzard conditions are developing as cold air pours in behind the system.
For northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan, up to 3 feet of snow is possible. For the areas downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario, 20 inches of snow is possible. The storm will grow in size as it moves east, dumping what could be more than a foot of snow over the Snow Belt along the south shore of Lake Superior.
Farther south and east, rain will gradually change to snow by Thanksgiving morning, with additional lake-effect bands setting up through Friday, especially downwind of the lower Great Lakes.
A major lake-effect snowstorm is expected through Saturday, in which snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, combined with wind gusts stronger than 30 mph, will lead to nearly impossible travel conditions.
Wet and snowy weather will also take over the Pacific Northwest — including Seattle and Portland — and showers and storms are plaguing cities along the Interstate 95 corridor Wednesday.
Temperatures are mild across the east coast Wednesday, though, before colder air sweeps over the region tonight as a strong cold front pushes through. It will exit into the Atlantic on Thursday, bringing clear skies, but leaving behind gusty winds and cool temperatures.
A windy day could impact the famed Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City. Balloons may be flying lower because of wind gusts up to 35 mph.
By Friday morning, polar air will settle across the central and eastern U.S., dropping temperatures to the freezing mark as far south as the Florida Panhandle, though New England will still run milder than typical for late November.
Meanwhile, the western U.S. will stay milder than normal through the Thanksgiving holiday. The Pacific Northwest can expect periods of mountain snow and lower-elevation rain as a couple of Pacific systems move onshore.
By Friday morning, snow chances will increase across Montana, where an upslope snow event may develop under arctic high pressure to the north and a strengthening low over the central High Plains.
Thunderstorms in southern Texas early Thursday should gradually diminish as a cold front continues moving southward.
Bad weather is already causing disruptions as millions hit the road in what is supposed to be a record-setting travel day this Thanksgiving eve.
Semitrucks rolled off roads blocking traffic in Minnesota. In North Dakota, a car was seen sliding off an icy and snowy road.
About 73 million people are expected to travel by car to their Thanksgiving destinations — approximately 1 million more than this time last year. That number could be even higher than the current prediction if people were deterred from traveling by plane because of flight disruptions stemming from the government shutdown.
Traffic was already at a standstill approaching the George Washington Bridge heading into New York City early Wednesday.
If drivers want to hit that lower traffic sweet spot, they should drive before 11 a.m. or after 8 p.m. Wednesday, avoiding the middle of the day. The same goes for Sunday, when everyone is set to travel back home after the holiday.
Weather is affecting air travel, as well, as flight delays are already climbing. According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, nearly 2,300 flights within the United States were delayed as of Wednesday afternoon.
A ground stop was in place at Chicago O’Hare International Airport Wednesday morning due to snow and ice, and a ground stop is ongoing at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. Flights into Chicago are being delayed, on average, 68-minutes due to snow or ice.
And Tuesday, flights slowed to a crawl in Atlanta and an air traffic control tower was evacuated for 10 minutes as fears of a nearby tornado grew.
American Airlines said it spends months preparing for Thanksgiving travel, and nearly all airlines have predicted that Wednesday will be their busiest travel day of the year. American will fly 81,000 flights over the Thanksgiving weekend — more than last year.
But volatile weather is threatening all of that hard work.
Mark Ewing, American’s customer service director, told NBC News the airline has a “playbook that walks us through every step of the way.”
“Weather’s coming. Execute the plan. Get customers back on track,” he said.
Travelers told NBC News they are being patient and “hoping for the best.”
Thankfully, Thursday’s forecast is expected to clear across most of the country, save for showers in the Northwest and lake-effect snow in the Great Lakes region.
