Snowy or soggy weather — or both — in the Northeast over Thanksgiving could snarl travel and threaten parades with gusty winds.
Parts of the Midwest and the East Coast could be hit with heavy rain, with snow possible in the Northeast, meteorologists said.
The potential storm could take shape across the eastern half of the U.S. on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, with two possible scenarios depending on how far south the storm travels, Accuweather meteorologists said.
A slow-moving storm could cause the nasty weather to linger over the Tennessee and Ohio valleys and into the Northeast, AccuWeather warns. A storm that moves farther south through Thanksgiving, off the coast of the Carolinas, would be less intense, with rain and some snow.
The Weather Channel predicted a “wild temperature ride” this week as the mercury is expected to swing from above normal to below normal throughout much of the U.S. The National Weather Service said only that Thanksgiving would likely bring more rain.
Other meteorologists offered three scenarios, ranging from mild to moderate travel issues, with the third option sending the storm out to sea with little impact on travel, according to WVIT-TV in Connecticut.
“A storm has the potential to snarl transit for those even traveling locally across portions of the Midwest and Northeast on Thanksgiving Day, even those chasing Black Friday deals could contend with travel challenges,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
The storm could bring wind gusts topping 20 mph, which could create unsafe conditions for Thanksgiving Day Parade floats in New York City and Philadelphia, AccuWeather noted.
“Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York looks to be quite wet,” Roys told USA Today. “It will be worth watching to see if it gets so windy that they can’t put the balloons out.”
Travel home from holiday gatherings might not be much better, Roys said, as the conditions could persist through at least part of the weekend.
With News Wire Services
