Thanksgiving Travel Forecast: Could Weather Delay Your Trip?
- - Thanksgiving Travel Forecast: Could Weather Delay Your Trip?
Sara Tonks November 24, 2025 at 1:30 AM
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It’s almost time to wish your friends and family a happy Thanksgiving, but first, you might need to get to the celebrations. If you’re driving or flying to Turkey Day festivities, here’s what you might for the weather forecast:
Monday's ForecastMonday
Major airports that could be impacted: Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, Kansas City, Seattle
Soaked central: The storm that began to impact the South Plains Sunday continues its march east. Rain is expected from Texas and Louisiana to the upper Mississippi Valley. There are some severe storms in the forecast from Missouri southward, with the greatest chance of storms expected from Texas to northwestern Mississippi. Cities like Dallas, Austin and Little Rock could see storms that produce large hail, damaging winds and a tornado or two. Some of these storms may have locally heavy rainfall, so be on the lookout for flooded roads.
Northwest snow, wind: Some snow and strong winds are possible in parts of the Northern Rockies and Cascades that could lead to slippery roads, especially over mountain passes. The lower elevations of the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle, could see another soggy day.
(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)
Tuesday's ForecastTuesday
Major airports that could be impacted: Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C.
More widespread rain for the eastern half of the U.S.: Rain is expected to spread from the Midwest and Southeast early to the East Coast by the end of the day. Some thunderstorms are possible across the Southeast in the areas shaded in darkest green above.
Snow in the Northern Plains: Some wind-driven snow is possible in parts of the Northern Plains. Check back on this forecast frequently, as this snow and wind could lead to difficult travel in these areas.
Northwest, again: Another storm system may bring rain and mountain snow to Washington and Oregon.
Wednesday's ForecastWednesday
Major airports that could be impacted: Atlanta, Seattle, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Rain may linger in East: For the peak travel day, Wednesday, one concern is for showers to hang in place in at least parts of the East, particularly in the morning. That could lead to flight delays out of the major Northeast hubs.
Lake-effect snow may begin: We also may see some heavy lake-effect snowbands begin to set up in parts of the western Great Lakes snowbelts (northern Michigan) that could lead to dangerous travel in those areas.
Northwest still wet: Pacific Northwest rain and northern Rockies snow are expected, which could lead to slippery roads, particularly over mountain passes. This Northwest system could be an atmospheric river event with locally heavy rain possible in parts of western Washington and Oregon.
(192-hours: Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)
Thanksgiving Day's ForecastThanksgiving Day
Major airports that could be impacted: Seattle
Lake-effect snow: Bands of heavy lake-effect snow may last into Thanksgiving Day in the northern and eastern Great Lakes snowbelts. These could also be accompanied by strong winds, potentially leading to localized whiteout conditions.
Nagging winds: Strong, chilly winds may linger in the Northeast and possibly parts of the Midwest.
Rain and snow for Northwest: Snow may blanket the northern Rockies and possibly the adjacent High Plains of Montana and northern Wyoming. Across lower elevations and the Pacific Northwest coastline, expect some showers yet again.
Black Friday's ForecastBlack Friday
Another day of lake-effect snow: This is the season for it, and it is not out of the ordinary. But, we have yet another day with chances of lake-effect snow, primarily across the eastern Great Lakes snowbelts.
Poor Northwest: If it wasn't bad enough, more valley and coastal rain and mountain snowfall is expected for the Pacific Northwest. Normal for this time of the year but not ideal.
Northern Plains Snow: Along with the colder air comes the chance of snow for the Northern Plains, which could interrupt any deals at department stores you want to get.
Sara Tonks is a content meteorologist with weather.com and has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences along with a master’s degree from Unity Environmental University in Marine Science.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
