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Midwest, East Coast storm could wreak havoc with Thanksgiving travel

Plane rain
Posted at 10:03 AM, Nov 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-18 12:03:29-05

Travel officials were already gearing up for a busy Thanksgiving week, with millions of Americans expected to travel for the holiday for the first time since 2019. But now, meteorologists warn that a series of storms could lead to flight delays and slick roadways next week.

CNN and NBC News forecasts say a storm system will develop on Sunday in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, generating snowfall in the north and thunderstorms to the south.

NBC News says that major travel hubs like Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, New Orleans and Pittsburgh could see severe weather on Sunday.

By Monday, the system will reach the East Coast, potentially creating headaches for travelers in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

"By Monday and Tuesday the eastern half of the country will be in a severely deep trough. This means the jet stream will look like a giant U right over the Great Lakes to the Northeast," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.

NBC forecasts that the rain will push into the Atlantic Ocean by Tuesday. However, lake effect snow could impact the upper Midwest and those storms could even push through to the Mid-Atlantic and New England later in the week.

CNN notes that there is still some uncertainty about which areas will see precipitation from the weather system. However, meteorologists note that they're most confident in predicting below-average temperatures for the East Coast.

Much of the eastern U.S. will see an increased chance of below-average temperatures, while those on the West Coast have a chance for above-average temperatures next week.