When I was a kid the big travel day for Thanksgiving was Wednesday. It’s still a big travel day, but Tuesday is now roughly equal to Wednesday and in some cases traffic can be worse depending on the time of day and, of course, the weather.
This year, a storm system in the middle of the country will ride east and bring with it rain and snow. This isn’t a very big system, but any precipitation, even light stuff can slow down travel. This morning many across Maine saw their first taste of winter. The good news is I don’t see any big weather issues this week.
The map below shows how a storm will move east and then off the New England coastline this weekend. This will be the one weather feature I’ll be keeping an eye on this week.
A weak storm will cross the center of the country and move to the Atlantic coastline later this weekend.
For those of you traveling around the northeast, Tuesday and Wednesday feature dry and chilly weather. I don’t see anything but dry roads for southern and most of northern New England.
The one exception to this rule will be the mountains of northern Vermont, New Hampshire and parts of northern Maine, where there will be some snow showers continuing the first part of Tuesday.
Wednesday is a very tranquil day with seasonably chilly air and no chance of any precipitation. Remember, it’s dark by roughly 4:30 p.m., so if you want to avoid driving to your destination in the dark, you’ll need to get on the road early.
Thanksgiving day is going to be cloudy with rain or snow showers possible. There could even be some drizzle around as well. The annual Portland-Deering football game will be played in the morning but I don’t expect the weather to interfere more than just making it a bit uncomfortable to sit in the stands during a raw morning.
Friday and Saturday’s weather hinge on when and if a storm forms in the ocean to our east and how close it comes to the coastline. This period of the holiday weekend could be wet or just cloudy or, if we are fortunate, a mix of clouds and sunshine. It’s just a bit too early to say with much confidence what the weather will do Friday and Saturday.
Sunday is another big travel day and right now it appears to be featuring dry and chilly conditions, but no weather trouble.
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