Blustery winds, chilly temperatures and some snow: Here's your Thanksgiving week forecast
As millions of Americans gear up to travel this Thanksgiving holiday week, forecast models continue to show a temperature roller-coaster and a potent storm this week.
Starting Sunday, several states will face snow, ice and dangerous winds. And a secondary system will bring additional travel troubles for the middle of the week.
Traveling by airline for the holiday? You may be in for a bumpy ride as well as delays.
Here is the day-by-day breakdown.
Sunday
From the Great Lakes down to the Gulf Coast, rain will be the primary threat, though snow showers will mix in at times in areas of the upper Midwest.
"A potent cold front delivers a shot of considerably colder temperatures across the Midwest and Great Lakes late Sunday into Monday, causing heavy lake effect snow showers to breakout downwind of the Great Lakes on Monday," the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) said Saturday. "Ahead of the storm system's cold front, numerous showers are forecast to breakout from the Deep South to the northern Mid-Atlantic Sunday afternoon. Expect these showers to reach the Northeast and extend as far south as the Southeast Sunday night."
All that rain in Detroit, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Memphis and Pittsburgh may lead to some airport delays as well as traffic jams on interstates and highways.
Overall, rainfall accumulations are expected to be around 1 inch or less, but some isolated spots could pick up as much as 3 inches.
"Heavy rain and isolated instances of flash flooding possible across portions of eastern Florida and South Texas today," the WPC said Sunday morning.
On Sunday, strong winds begin to kick up in the Northern Plains, shifting to the Midwest by Monday. This could lead to significant airline delays as well as very bumpy flights over some locations.
Monday
On Monday, the cold front will extend from Maine to Florida, with rain and wind posing the main threats.
Cleveland, Syracuse and Buffalo, New York, will have snow in the forecast along with gusty winds.
"Rain will transition to rain and snow showers Monday behind a strong cold front," the National Weather Service office in Buffalo said in a hazardous weather outlook. "Lake effect snow will then develop Monday night through Tuesday. Several inches of accumulation are likely in the most persistent lake snows."
While Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit will begin to dry out Monday, very gusty crosswinds of 20-35 mph could lead to flight delays. Even cities as far south as Knoxville, Tennessee, and Atlanta could be looking at gusty winds on Monday.
"Pilots will be looking for the smoothest air to fly in, but many passengers are sure to hear 'Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your seat belts securely fastened,'" said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will bring high winds to the Northeast, potentially causing some flight delays in Boston, New York and Washington, DC.
Monday also marks another big day of temperature swings across the country.
Temperatures in much of the Midwest and Ohio River Valley will be well below normal. Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit, Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Louis will all have high temperatures 10 to 15 degrees below seasonal averages.
The above-average temperatures will be limited to the area from Denver to the Canadian border, where high temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees above normal.
Tuesday
By Tuesday, lingering snow showers will remain along the eastern Great Lakes, as a new low-pressure system pushes into the Mountain West. This storm will become the focal point of travel troubles in the Midwest on Wednesday.
Thanks to the system from the previous day, the Northeast will continue to deal with rain, snow and gusty winds that could make roadways and runways a mess.
"Potential heavy rainfall for portions of the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley may impact travel for the Thanksgiving holiday," the WPC said.
Keep in mind there is still enough uncertainty in the evolution of this system to allow for other types of precipitation. If temperatures are warmer by just a few degrees, it will mean the difference between snow and rain for several states.
Mother Nature might also be getting her holidays confused thanks to big swings in temperatures.
From Boston down through Jacksonville, temperatures on Tuesday will average 10 to 15 degrees below normal, making it feel more like Christmas than Thanksgiving.
The Intermountain West and High Plains regions will see the opposite effect. From Amarillo, Texas, to Bismarck, North Dakota, temperatures will be 15 to 30 degrees above normal Tuesday, resembling Halloween temperatures more than Thanksgiving.
As the next system begins to push into the Pacific Northwest, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, will likely pick up 1 or 2 inches of rain.
Wednesday
Wednesday provides a bit of a break for the Southeast, but windy conditions become the focus for a huge swath, from Michigan to Texas.
Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and Oklahoma City will likely deal with blustery winds of 20 to 30 mph throughout the day.
The secondary system will shift into the Midwest late Wednesday. Rain, snow and even ice are possible for Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois, which could be very dangerous for both road and air travel.
Finally, a new system will begin to enter the Mountain West. Snow showers are possible for Denver and Salt Lake City.
"Across the northern tier, the combination of low temperatures and wind would produce cold wind chills," the WPC said.
狂风、寒冷的气温和一些雪：这是您的感恩节周预报
随着数百万美国人准备在这个感恩节假期周旅行，预测模型继续显示本周气温过山车和强风暴。
从周日开始，几个州将面临雪、冰和危险的风。并且二次系统会给周中的出行带来额外的麻烦。
假期乘飞机旅行？您可能会遇到颠簸和延误。
这是逐日细分。
星期日
从五大湖到墨西哥湾沿岸，降雨将是主要威胁，但在中西部上游地区有时会混入阵雪。
天气预报中心（WPC）周六表示：“从周日晚些时候到周一，一股强大的冷锋在中西部和五大湖地区带来了相当寒冷的气温，导致周一五大湖地区的下风向爆发强湖效应雪阵雨。” “在风暴系统的冷锋来临之前，预计周日下午从深南部到大西洋中部北部将爆发大量阵雨。预计这些阵雨将到达东北部，并延伸至东南部周日晚上向南延伸。”
底特律、密尔沃基、辛辛那提、亚特兰大、孟菲斯和匹兹堡的所有降雨都可能导致一些机场延误以及州际公路和高速公路的交通拥堵。
总体而言，降雨量预计约为 1 英寸或更少，但一些孤立的地方可能会增加多达 3 英寸。
WPC周日上午表示：“今天佛罗里达州东部和德克萨斯州南部的部分地区可能会出现大雨和孤立的山洪暴发。”
周日，北部平原开始刮起强风，到周一转移到中西部。这可能会导致严重的航空公司延误以及某些地点的航班非常颠簸。
周一
周一，冷锋将从缅因州延伸到佛罗里达州，主要威胁是雨和风。
克利夫兰、锡拉丘兹和纽约布法罗预计将有雪和阵风。
布法罗国家气象局办公室在危险天气展望中表示：“周一，在强冷锋之后，降雨将转变为雨雪阵雨。” “然后湖效应雪将在周一晚上到周二形成。最持久的湖雪可能会积聚几英寸。”
虽然芝加哥、密尔沃基和底特律周一将开始变干，但时速 20-35 英里的强侧风可能会导致航班延误。即使是南至诺克斯维尔、田纳西州和亚特兰大的城市，周一也可能会有阵风。
美国有线电视新闻网气象学家查德迈尔斯说：“飞行员会寻找最顺畅的空气来飞行，但许多乘客肯定会听到‘女士们先生们，请系好安全带'。”
周一、周二和周三将给东北部带来强风，可能导致波士顿、纽约和华盛顿特区的一些航班延误。
周一也标志着全国气温波动的又一个大日子。
中西部和俄亥俄河谷大部分地区的气温将远低于正常水平。辛辛那提、印第安纳波利斯、底特律、纳什维尔、田纳西和圣路易斯的高温都将比季节性平均水平低 10 到 15 度。
高于平均水平的气温将仅限于从丹佛到加拿大边境的地区，那里的高温将比正常水平高 15 至 20 度。
周二
到周二，随着一个新的低压系统进入西部山区，五大湖东部将继续有阵雨。这场风暴将成为周三中西部旅行问题的焦点。
由于前一天的系统，东北地区将继续应对可能使道路和跑道变得一团糟的雨、雪和阵风。
“南部平原和下密西西比河谷的部分地区可能会出现强降雨，可能会影响感恩节假期的旅行，”WPC 表示。
请记住，该系统的演化仍有足够的不确定性，以允许其他类型的降水。如果气温仅升高几度，这将意味着几个州的雪和雨之间的差异。
由于气温的大幅波动，大自然母亲也可能让她的假期变得混乱。
从波士顿到杰克逊维尔，周二的平均气温将比正常低 10 到 15 度，让人感觉更像是圣诞节而不是感恩节。
Intermountain West 和 High Plains 地区将看到相反的效果。从德克萨斯州的阿马里洛到北达科他州的俾斯麦，周二的气温将比正常水平高 15 到 30 度，比感恩节更像万圣节的气温。
随着下一个系统开始进入太平洋西北部，西雅图和俄勒冈州波特兰可能会下雨 1 到 2 英寸。
周三
周三为东南部提供了一些休息时间，但大风条件成为从密歇根到德克萨斯的大片地区的焦点。
芝加哥、圣路易斯、达拉斯和俄克拉荷马城可能会全天应对 20 至 30 英里/小时的狂风。
二级系统将在周三晚些时候转移到中西部。 密歇根州、威斯康星州和伊利诺伊州可能会下雨、下雪甚至结冰，这对公路和航空旅行来说都是非常危险的。
最后，一个新的系统将开始进入西山。 丹佛和盐湖城可能会有阵雪。
“在整个北部地区，低温和风的结合会产生寒冷的寒风，”WPC 说。
