Season’s First Winter Storm Named
Thanksgiving week has arrived. Unfortunately, the weather may not cooperate in parts of the country, especially the weekend after the holiday.
Here’s what you need to know for the weather forecast below. We also have tracking maps with current radar, National Weather Service alerts and flight delays here.
Our advice: If you’re traveling either Saturday or Sunday, be weather aware. Delays and slower traffic are expected Saturday in the Central U.S. and on Sunday in the Eastern U.S.
(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)
Wednesday
Major airports that could be impacted: Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Seattle (late)
Rain may linger in East: For the peak travel day, showers may flare up ahead of a cold front in at least parts of the East that could lead to some flight delays, with the greatest chance expected at major Northeast hubs.
Great Lakes snow: Winter Storm Alston will continue to bring heavy snow and blizzard conditions through at least the morning hours in the in the upper Mississippi Valley, including the Twin Cities metro area, making for a difficult morning commute and potential flight delays out of MSP International Airport. Snow and wind will also spread across much of Wisconsin, with light accumulations possible as far south as the Madison – Milwaukee corridor that could make some roads slippery. Note that gusty winds can cause blowing snow and maintain blizzard conditions, even when there is no new snow falling.
Otherwise, heavy lake-effect snow and strong winds will spread from the western Great Lakes snowbelts (northern and western Michigan, northern Wisconsin) Wednesday into the eastern lake snowbelts (northeast Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, southwest New York, upstate New York) overnight Wednesday night. Expect dangerous travel in these areas.
Northwest nuisance: Some patches of mainly morning snow could blanket parts of the northern Rockies. And a few showers are possible in the Pacific Northwest, with a chance of steadier rain at night in western Washington, including Seattle.
(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)
Thanksgiving Day’s Forecast
Thanksgiving Day
Major airports that could be impacted: Seattle
Lake-effect snow: Bands of heavy lake-effect snow and strong winds will continue in the Great Lakes snowbelts. Expect whiteout conditions in these narrow, localized lake-effect bands affecting stretches of Interstate 90 from Cleveland to near Buffalo, Interstate 81 north of Syracuse, New York, Interstates 80/90 in northern Indiana and Interstates 94 and 196 in western Michigan.
Rain and snow for Northwest: Snow may blanket the far northern Rockies. In the Pacific Northwest, expect some showers and gusty winds in western Washington and Oregon.
(192-hours: Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)
Black Friday
Major airports that could be impacted: Dallas-Ft. Worth (late), Houston (late), Kansas City (late)
Another day of lake-effect snow: Lake-effect snowbands will persist, mainly in the eastern Great Lakes snowbelts, with dangerous travel likely. Some other wrap-around snow showers are possible in northern New England.
More Northern Plains snow: Snow will spread out of Montana into the Northern Plains from the Dakotas to the Missouri Valley. Friday night, that snow may spread into parts of the upper Midwest.
More South storms: Showers and thunderstorms may break out Friday afternoon and night from Kansas and western Missouri to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and western Louisiana. Some of those may have heavy rainfall and could lead to nighttime flight delays at the major Texas airport hubs.
Saturday
Major airports that could be impacted: Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Minneapolis
Midwest wintry mess: Snow and possibly some sleet and freezing rain, will likely move through parts of the Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes. This could lead to both slippery roads and flight delays, including at Chicago-O’Hare, St. Louis, Detroit and Kansas City.
South storms: Thunderstorms with heavy rain, and some possibly severe weather, may rumble across the South from Oklahoma and Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley. This could lead to local flash flooding and flight delays at both Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston. These areas are still waterlogged, so any new rainfall is not welcome.
Sunday
This forecast still has uncertainty right now. The map above shows our current forecast and what we’re writing below is our best estimate at the forecast right now. Check back with us at weather.com for the latest forecast updates in the coming days as this forecast comes into focus.
Major airports that could be impacted: Atlanta, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston, New Orleans, Washington, D.C.
Eastern mess: Most computer model forecasts suggest rain will reach the East, with some snow possible in parts of the interior Northeast and lake-effect snowbands in the western Great Lakes. This could lead to significant flight delays in the major East Coast hubs. The rain also may stretch into the Southeast and even parts of the Gulf Coast, so those traveling into or out of Atlanta, Houston and New Orleans may need to take this into consideration. Some models even has showers and storms possible in much of Florida, which will be made more certain as the weekend approaches.
Rockies snow: Some snow could develop in the central and southern Rockies and adjacent High Plains from Colorado and western Kansas to northern New Mexico. Some showers are possible as far west as Arizona.
