(WGHP) – It’s one of the busiest travel weeks of the year as family and friends prepare to feast together for Thanksgiving Day.
In order to prepare and make travel as smooth as possible, let’s take a look at what the weather looks like this week, whether you’re staying close to home or visiting your cousins on the other side of the country.
Local Weather
Thanksgiving week in the Triad is off to a warm start with afternoon temperatures in the mid-60s. However, this doesn’t last long as a cold front will push through the region on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s cold front will bring the chance for showers in the morning so be sure to have the rain gear handy.
Behind Tuesday’s front, temperatures will return to seasonable for November which means afternoon temperatures in the upper 50s.
Not only that but Wednesday is considered one of the busiest travel days of the year. If you’re hitting the road the weather will be dry in North Carolina.
We’ll see a mix of sun and clouds for the middle of the week with cool but mild temperatures.
If you’re someone who may be holding off on traveling until Thanksgiving morning, weather could impact your commute.
Our second cold front of the week will spark scattered showers across the Tarheel state on Thursday.
For those of you who are part of a family that participates in a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning, be prepared to be running in the rain.
Temperatures will be fairly mild in the mid-50s around 10 a.m. with highs reaching the low 60s.
Behind our Thanksgiving day cold front, temperatures are expected to plummet with our coldest temperatures of the season, so far, arriving the first week of December.
What’s happening around the country?
If you’re planning on traveling out of the state for the holiday, it’s important to know what type of weather events are expected throughout the week.
The good news is, most travel ahead of the holiday should be relatively smooth, without too many issues.
However, a couple of storm systems could bring rain and snow chances in various parts of the country so be sure to check your flight status.
Southeast
Tuesday’s cold front, which is set to bring rain in the Triad during the morning hours, will also push across the Southeast. A line of rain and thunderstorms is possible into Wednesday morning however no severe weather is expected at this time.
Periods of heavy rain could cause some delays at airports in the Southeast like Atlanta and Charlotte.
Northeast
For anyone with family in the Northeast, rain could impact travel on Tuesday as a cold front pushes across the East Coast, especially along the I-95 corridor.
Airports along the East Coast may also see some disruptions due to low visibility and increasing winds along the cold front on Tuesday.
The bigger concern with weather impacting travel looks to be for those trying to leave the Northeast after Thanksgiving.
The cold front that’s set to bring scattered showers to the Triad on Thanksgiving Day will also impact the Northeast. This second low-pressure system is likely to have a bigger impact on travel as people head home.
Rain is likely along the I-95 corridor again Thursday with the increasing chance for snow in some states. Lake effect snow looks increasingly possible for those east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
The rain and snow potential lasts through Saturday.
West
If you’re heading to the West Coast for Thanksgiving, a few low-pressure systems will bring the chance for rain and snow early in the week.
The snow is mainly expected in the higher elevations of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada with rain possible along the I-5 corridor from California through Washington.
The National Weather Service forecasts the majority of the rain to fall across Central California which could cause some issues on the roads and possible disruptions at airports like Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
