Where Will Mother Nature Disrupt Travel This Holiday Week?

A record-breaking travel week is expected for the Thanksgiving holiday in 2024 with nearly 80 million people predicted to take to the roads and the skies. According to the AAA, this is an increase of 1.7 million people when compared to Thanksgiving 2023. Will Mother Nature give these travelers an assist or is there trouble brewing? Here is an update on the Thanksgiving week forecast across the U.S.

Checking Out the West Coast

The western U.S. experienced a tough stretch of days last week for the weather with multiple bomb cyclones and other storm systems pounding the region. While the weather will be comparatively milder this week, that does not mean that it will remain calm.

Central California will bear the brunt of the Tuesday storm impacts as heavy rain impacts this part of the Golden State. A surge of colder air will translate to snowfall measured in feet in the higher terrains. There could be enough snow to force the closure of Donner Pass along Interstate 80 in California.

This weather maker will push to the east throughout the week, bringing snow to the Wasatch Mountains in Utah and the Colorado Rockies. Widespread snowfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches is expected over the higher terrains of this region.

Eastern portions of Idaho and western Wyoming may also get in on this snow action. In general, the central U.S. and the Rocky Mountain region will likely have the most active weather on Thanksgiving Eve while the East and West get a bit of a breather.

S​now could impact travel in Colorado and Utah, including Denver. Meanwhile, a developing wave of low pressure could bring rain to the mid-Mississippi valley and parts of the Ohio Valley. There might be a sliver of snowfall or wintry mix on the northern fringe of that rainfall.

The Denver area is forecast to pick up 1 to 3 inches of snow late Tuesday and into early Wednesday. Highs will top out at about 37 degrees with lows slipping into upper teens heading into Thanksgiving as the skies clear up.

The active weather is expected to push out of the Intermountain West by Thanksgiving Day.

Moving Into the Plains States