Thanksgiving travel off to a good start despite earlier storms in the East

It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and it’s expected to be the busiest day for air travel, and conditions are improving after a stormy morning along the East.

Whether you’re traveling by plane, train or automobile, FOX Weather is still tracking some storms soaking the Eastern Seaboard, with even some snow in the interior areas of New England.

Thankfully, much of the rest of the nation is getting a travel pass this Wednesday, but more ornery weather returns in the latter half of the holiday break for some heading home.

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Travelers walk through OHare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on Nov. 21, 2023, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Wednesday forecast:

Millions of Americans in the East were dealt with a nasty combination of rain, wind and even snow Wednesday morning as they raced to their Thanksgiving destinations.

A storm system stretching hundreds of miles across slid along the East Coast, producing gusty winds in the Northeast, which created a few delays and cancelations at some major airport hubs.

On Wednesday, a 63 mph gust was registered in Mashpee, Massachusetts, while a 56 mph gust was clocked in Fairhaven.

Strong onshore winds at Providence, Rhode Island, also generated a 3-foot storm surge, but luckily, it was timed with low tide, so no flooding impacts occurred, according to the National Weather Service.

This storm also produced periods of heavy rain along and east of much of the Interstate 95 corridor during the first half of the day, as a low severe weather risk along the North Carolina coast lingers.

Most of the active weather will slide offshore by Wednesday afternoon, leaving calmer weather for travel by the end of the workday.

The severe weather threat on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (FOX Weather)

With colder air over New England, a white Thanksgiving is in the works for portions of upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Some places will pick up 5-8 inches of snow by the time the turkey hits the table Thursday.

A look at the snow still to come through Wednesday night, Nov. 22, 2023. (FOX Weather)

Thanksgiving (Thursday)

The good news is most of the country is in the clear for active weather. There will be two areas to watch in the northern Rockies and in Texas and Louisiana.

The next impactful storm will be sliding over the northern Rockies, bringing snow to Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, the FOX Forecast Center said. This could create challenging driving conditions for anyone traveling.

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Thanksgiving forecast. (FOX Weather)

The system will then drop more snow on Colorado and the Denver metro area on Black Friday. Farther south along the Gulf Coast, a disturbance will help spark showers and a few thunderstorms over Texas and Louisiana.

This rain would be beneficial for an area dealing with drought conditions.

Black Friday

Shoppers in Colorado and Utah will be dealing with a nasty snowstorm Friday. That storm will slide down the Rockies to end the week, producing widespread snow in several states, the FOX Forecast Center said.

More than a foot of snow is expected to fall in the mountains of Colorado, with several inches coming down on the Denver metro.

That snow is also expected to extend farther east into the plains of Kansas, Nebraska and the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma.

While not heavy, 1-3 inches of snow in these areas could make roads slick for anyone traveling after the holiday.

Black Friday forecast. (FOX Weather)

Saturday-Sunday

Conditions are expected to be mostly tranquil across the country on Saturday and Sunday for your return trip home, as temperatures hover mostly around where they should be for late November.