Overview
- Widespread rain develops late Monday night into Tuesday across the Midwest, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic during one of the busiest travel days of the year.
- A strong cold front on Wednesday will flip rain to snow in northern and lake-effect zones as temperatures plunge, with Thanksgiving highs near the mid-30s in many areas.
- The National Weather Service flags northwest Lower Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula for the most disruptive bands, with gusts of 30–45+ mph creating whiteouts, blowing snow and possible power outages through Friday.
- Cities on the southern and eastern fringe—Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and central Pennsylvania—turn colder with scattered showers or lake-effect snow, while New England and the Mid-Atlantic trend dry, breezy and cooler for the holiday.
- Forecasters are also watching a potential late-weekend system, though the track and precipitation type remain uncertain at this range.