Winter weather is making for difficult travel ahead for the Thanksgiving holiday, and animated weather footage from windy.com shows the impact of poor weather for those who still have travel plans.
Nearly 80 million Americans were expected to travel for Thanksgiving this year, AAA reported. The National Weather Service (NWS) has several weather alerts and messages in place across the nation.
Current precipitation
States with ongoing precipitation are mostly in the central/western U.S., with winter storm warnings remaining in place throughout Colorado and eastern Utah through Wednesday evening.
According to the animated graphic from windy.com, some precipitation also is impacting northern Arizona, falling as mostly rain, and northern New Mexico. Rain is also falling from Kansas east through Missouri and part of central Illinois.
Vehicles drive slowly along Interstate 80 as a storm dumps several inches of snow on the area on January 9 in Des Moines, Iowa. Several states are expecting snow for Thanksgiving.
Joe Raedle/Getty
Rain could shift to snow in some areas by Wednesday night, NWS meteorologists warned.
“A mix of rain and snow will move across the region today and tonight,” a hazardous weather outlook from the NWS office in Lincoln, Illinois, said. “Although most will see little to no snow accumulation, there is potential for a narrow band of snow to bring at least 1 inch of snow somewhere north of I-70 in east-central Illinois. If this happens, minor travel impacts could result.”
Snow accumulation
Over the next three days, the highest snow accumulation will occur in Colorado, Utah, the Northeast and the Great Lakes region. The most widespread heavy amounts will likely hit the Northeast, with multiple feet of lake-effect snow in New York beginning on Friday.
The incoming winter weather has prompted NWS meteorologists to urge some New Yorkers to delay post-Thanksgiving travel until the storm clears out.
“Travel will be very difficult and at times nearly impossible. The hazardous conditions will certainly impact the Friday evening commute,” the warning said. “During lake effect snow, the weather can vary from bands of locally heavy snow with greatly reduced visibilities to dry conditions just a few miles away. Be prepared for rapid changes in weather, visibility, and road conditions.”
Snowplows might be unable to access roads during periods of heavier snowfall, NWS meteorologist David Thomas told Newsweekpossibly leading to roads becoming impassable.
Radar
Current radar footage shows precipitation-laden storms moving across the central U.S. and the Midwest as of Wednesday afternoon.
Wind
The strongest winds were felt in central New Mexico on Wednesday afternoon. A wind advisory warned that gusts could reach up to 55 mph in parts of the state.
The winds were caused by the remnants of an atmospheric river that hit the Pacific Northwest this week.
“Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution,” a wind advisory issued by the Albuquerque office said.
Winds will die down over Thanksgiving and return over the weekend, though NWS meteorologist Carter Greulich previously told Newsweek that the wind speeds weren’t expected to be as strong as they were earlier in the week.
Icing severity
An arctic blast will descend into the northern Plains this week, with feels-like temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero in North Dakota.
As of Wednesday afternoon, one of the busiest travel days ahead of Thanksgiving, there was a chance of icing in northern North Dakota and western Minnesota.
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