More snow, rain, and cold weather in store for post-Thanksgiving travelers
Plenty of snow, rain and cold await travelers for the remainder of the Thanksgiving weekend, with winter storm warnings issued Friday across the northern part of the country and more snow falling across the Great Lakes region.
Storm warnings and advisories extend from Montana to New York, the National Weather Service said. Snow was expected to begin Friday and last well into the weekend in some areas, with Iowa and Illinois the hardest hit. Six inches (about 15 centimeters) to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow is expected across much of west-central Illinois Friday night through Saturday evening.
So far, forecast conditions do not meet the criteria for a blizzard warning, meteorologists said: winds of at least 35 mph (56 kph), visibilities less than 400 meters and duration of more than three hours.
A storm that already brought snow to parts of the northern Plains states and the Great Lakes region continued Friday. Snowfall totals of at least a foot were expected by the end of the storm, particularly downwind of Lake Superior in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula and downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario, the weather service said. Parts of central New York could see 12 inches of snow.
Snow squalls Friday, bringing rapid bursts of heavy snow and dangerous whiteout conditions for driving, were possible across the interior Northeast, the weather service said.
In the Pacific Northwest and Rockies, a combination of snow and rain was expected Friday. By Saturday, snow will decrease in the Rocky Mountains and northern Plains, but continue into the Midwest.
To the south, storms – some violent – are forecast, with flash flooding possible on the western Gulf Coast on Saturday.
Temperatures were well below average across the eastern and central parts of the country, with highs expected Friday between 20 and 30 degrees F in the Midwest, between 30 and 40 degrees in New England and the mid-Atlantic regions, and between 40 and 50 degrees in the Southeast.
Snowy Thanksgiving weather caused a number of vehicle accidents in West Michigan.
