Most of this day before Thanksgiving will work out just fine for local travel in New England, but the problems set in for late day and evening.
Showers moving east from the big storm crossing the nation and tracking through the Great Lakes arrive to New England during the middle to late afternoon, from west to east, respectively. It will ramp up to an area of rain during the evening.
For the vast majority of the region, except a colder central Maine, snow isn’t expected at first. But even just wet roads on a busy travel afternoon and evening will slow the roll for so many of us.
Snow in central Maine will expand southward into the high terrain of northern New England overnight then expand as rain changing to a mix of rain and snow from north to south early Thanksgiving morning.
While a couple of inches are possible in the higher terrain of northern and western New England, most of the central part of our region will see just a little more than a dusting. Southern New England likely won’t even see that, though Thanksgiving morning road racers will find raindrops and wet snowflakes pelting them along the run.
A drying northwest wind will then usher the mixed showers out by mid-morning and leave behind a dry remainder of the day. Wind gusts will be up to 45 mph and we’ll have wind chill values in the 30s with more clouds than sun.
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Friday brings a deep chill – highs only in the 30s, wind chill in the 20s and northwest gusts to 35 mph. Saturday’s not much better, though both days deliver sunshine.
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The next storm comescalling Sunday. The exact start time is to be determined because the storm track, speed and intensity are still up for grabs. However, it’s looking like a middle or late afternoon start time.
With cold air ahead of the storm, a burst of accumulating snow is certainly possible, particularly inland and even in southern New England. But with a 50-degree ocean and not much to hold deep, cold air in place, chances are good a rain/snow line would march pretty far inland.
Nonetheless, Monday morning will likely be slow for the return to school and work, and Sunday evening’s travel may be impacted, as well. Another shot of chilly air arrives for midweek in the exclusive First Alert 10-Day Forecast.