Where weather could cause problems for Thanksgiving travel this year
About 55.4 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles between Nov. 22 and Nov. 26 – 2.3% more than last year and the third-highest Thanksgiving travel forecast since 2000, according to the AAA.
Where travel troubles could slow you down this Thanksgiving
A storm will be making its way from coast to coast next week during the busy Thanksgiving travel period.
Millions of people will soon take to trains, planes and automobiles to make their annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage.
AAA said Monday that about 55.4 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles between Nov. 22 and Nov. 26 – 2.3% more than last year and the third-highest Thanksgiving travel forecast by the agency since 2000. About 89% will travel by car, while 8.5% will fly to their destination.
Relatively quiet weather has dominated the U.S. over the past couple of weeks, but computer forecast models are indicating a more active scenario could take hold just as Thanksgiving travel begins.
Here is a broad look at the forecast leading up to one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Details of the forecast will become clearer as the period approaches.
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![Thanksgiving Travel Expected To Reach Near Pre-Pandemic Volume]()
Image 1 of 6FILE - Travelers navigate a security checkpoint at Denver International Airport on November 22, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Scott Olson)
![FILE - American Airlines airplanes are seen past a traveler walking through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on November 22, 2022, ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)]()
Image 2 of 6FILE - American Airlines airplanes are seen past a traveler walking through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on November 22, 2022, ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![People wait for their flights at Newark Liberty International Airport on the day before one of the busiest travel days of the year on November 22, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey.]()
Image 3 of 6People wait for their flights at Newark Liberty International Airport on the day before one of the busiest travel days of the year on November 22, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey. AAA predicted Thanksgiving travel this year will be close to pre-pandemic levels with 54.6 million people traveling 50 miles or more from home. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (Spencer Platt)
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Image 4 of 6LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - NOV. 24, 2021. Traffic slows on the Harbor Freeway in downtown Los Angeles on Thanksgiving getaway day on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. ( Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Image 5 of 6An air travel passenger is hugged while being picked up amid a long line of travelers awaiting rides after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport terminal 1 for the Thanksgiving holiday in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Image 6 of 6Orlando, Florida, United States - People wait in line at a TSA security checkpoint at Orlando International Airport on Thanksgiving eve, November 25, 2020, in Orlando, Florida. Thousands of travelers are ignoring CDC warnings to avoid holiday travel as COVID-19 cases are surging across the United States. ( Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Pre-Thanksgiving outlook: Rain, wind threaten Northeast this weekend
The FOX Forecast Center is closely monitoring a cold front and coastal storm approaching the Eastern Seaboard.
This could cause delays for travelers in the Northeast and New England who were planning to start their holiday travel early this weekend.
Computer forecast models show precipitation from the cold front is expected to begin in the Northeast later Friday, with impacts from the coastal storm arriving Saturday along the immediate coastline.
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With the latest computer model guidance taking the coastal storm's track farther away from the East Coast, the FOX Forecast Center said the rain from the coastal storm will be limited and confined mostly to the immediate southeastern New England coast and Downeast Maine.
Most of the rain will fall along the cold front, sweeping in from the west. Temperatures will be too warm for significant snow, but the highest mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine could see a few inches of snow as colder air rolls in behind the front.
The exclusive FOX Model Futuretrack through Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.
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Thanksgiving week outlook: Multiple storms could snarl travel
The weather forecast remains complex for Thanksgiving week, as the FOX Forecast Center is watching the potential for multiple storms to impact the U.S. next week, bringing a wide range of impacts.
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As the Northeast deals with its cold-front-coastal-storm combo this weekend, a pair of storm systems will be moving into California and the Pacific Northwest Saturday and into Sunday with steady rain and mountain snow.
On Monday, the Pacific Northwest system will attempt to dive south over most of the Rockies, leading to impactful snow that could cause issues on roads. It's unclear if that part of the system will fall apart or maintain its strength over the mountains. Either way, travel impacts will be possible.
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"The problem is once that energy hops over the Rockies – what brews out of that?" FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said.
Meanwhile, the storm system that had been swirling off California for days before pushing inland over the weekend will end up over the Four Corners region by Monday. That system will strengthen over the southern Plains, with the latest trends now showing an increasing threat of severe weather in addition to a threat of heavy rain.
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(FOX Weather)
Yet another system will dive south from Canada on Tuesday, bringing a blast of cold air along with it. This could lead to snow for most of the Great Lakes region, with some in the form of lake-effect snow.
This system is then expected to swing into the East later Tuesday and into Wednesday, threatening to bring another round of moderate rain and strong, gusty winds, with some snow possible in the interior Northeast.
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Thanksgiving forecast
Much of the U.S. will likely have dry weather for Thanksgiving, with the exception of a chance for rain and snow on either coast and across the northern tier of the country.
(FOX Weather)
Expect warm temperatures from Southern California to the Southwest to West Texas, while cool temperatures are forecast for most areas from the Plains to the East Coast.
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Keep tabs on the forecast for your Thanksgiving destination using the FOX Weather app. Just open the app and tap the Events tab to get started.