Overview
- The National Weather Service has issued alerts for persistent rain, moderate to heavy snow and gusty winds during one of the busiest U.S. travel weeks.
- Forecast timeline shows freezing rain and snow in the Northern Plains first, storms moving into the Upper Midwest Tuesday night, and snow intensifying over the Upper Great Lakes Wednesday before spreading into the Appalachians, interior Mid-Atlantic and New England by Thanksgiving Day.
- The Weather Prediction Center expects localized Northern Plains totals to exceed 30 cm, while lake-effect bands could drop 2–3 feet around Marquette with winter storm alerts in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
- Gusts near 50 mph are possible in parts of the Upper Peninsula and downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario, raising whiteout risks and making some roads briefly impassable.
- AccuWeather cautions that winds could force changes to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon operations if thresholds are met, and travelers are urged to monitor airlines for delays and cancellations.