As the Thanksgiving holiday weekend continues, travelers should brace themselves for a mix of snow, rain, and chilly temperatures. On Friday, winter storm warnings were issued across the northern United States, with particular attention on the Great Lakes region, as snow began to fall in earnest.
The National Weather Service issued storm warnings and advisories stretching from Montana all the way to New York. The snow, which began on Friday, is expected to persist through the weekend, with Iowa and Illinois forecasted to bear the brunt. West-central Illinois could see snow accumulations ranging from six inches up to a foot by Saturday night.
While the conditions are severe, meteorologists clarified that they do not currently meet the criteria for a blizzard warning, which requires winds of at least 35 mph, visibility under a quarter of a mile, and conditions persisting for over three hours.
This storm has already made its mark on parts of the northern Plains and the Great Lakes region, with expectations that some areas could receive at least a foot of snow. This is particularly true for regions downwind of Lake Superior, across Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, and areas adjacent to lakes Erie and Ontario. Central New York state might also see significant snowfall, with forecasts suggesting up to a foot.
Friday’s snow squalls threatened to create quick bursts of heavy snow, leading to dangerous driving conditions and potential whiteouts across the interior Northeast, according to the weather service.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies, a combination of snow and rain was anticipated on Friday. By Saturday, while snow is expected to ease in the Rockies and northern Plains, it will likely continue its icy march into the Midwest.
To the south, storms — some of them heavy — are in the forecast, with some flash flooding possible Saturday in the western Gulf Coast.
Temperatures were well below average in the eastern and central parts of the country, with highs Friday expected in the 20s degrees F and 30s degrees F in the Midwest, the 30s and 40s in New England and Mid-Atlantic areas, and the 40s and 50s in the Southeast.
The snowy weather on Thanksgiving brought a number of vehicle crashes in western Michigan.
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