Traveling? ‘Powerful’ storms could mess up your plans. But Florida is another story
Great news, Florida. It looks like you can host a Thanksgiving party by the poolside this year.
The bad news?
Forecasters say there are two “powerful” storm systems moving through the Lower 48 states this week. That means Thanksgiving travel plans could be “severely affected.”
Here’s what you need to know:
If you’re staying in Florida
It’s looking nice, sunny and cool Tuesday through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
Thanksgiving Day is forecast to be mostly sunny with highs in the low-80s so you won’t have to worry about breaking a sweat if you’re attending a Friendsgiving picnic at the park or beach.
A visit to your favorite Orlando theme park also looks ideal. The National Weather Service in Melbourne said you can expect to have mostly sunny days this week, with temperatures in the low-80s.
If you have a dinner date with a turkey Thursday in South Florida, you might want to take a light sweater with you. The forecast says temperatures could drop to the low-70s, which for Florida standards, could be chilly enough to cause goosebumps.
Those in the Orlando and Bradenton areas will feel the chill more Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The temperatures could drop to the low-60s during the night. Tallahassee and Jacksonville is forecast to be even colder, with temperatures dropping to the low-50s on those days.
But the really good news is that you can leave your umbrella behind when you go Black Friday shopping.
Forecasters say Friday should be mostly sunny in Florida. You also won’t be burning up if you’re making a line outside a store. Temperatures will be in the 70s.
Beside some possible minor coastal flooding along the Atlantic coastline and Intracoastal Waterway during high tides, it looks like this also could be a good week for boaters to cruise along the Keys. The National Weather Service in Miami said there’s no hazardous weather to watch out for.
There’s also a low chance of rain in Key West this weekend, but it shouldn’t ruin any of your holiday getaway plans. There’s only a 10 to 30 percent chance of rain, according to the weather service.
If you’re traveling to another state or have family visiting
The rest of the country is probably jealous of Florida’s great holiday weather.
Why?
Their weather sucks this week.
Two “back to back powerful storms” are forecast to produce widespread heavy snow, rain, thunderstorms and damaging winds from the western states to the Northern Tier Tuesday through early Friday.
Forecasters say the storms have a high chance of disrupting Thanksgiving travel plans across large portions of the Central and Western U.S.
Affected areas could see between 8 and 12 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong winds are forecast to develop across much of the Northeast as a storm moves off the New England coast early Thursday and this could spell bad news for Macy’s 93rd annual Thanksgiving Day parade.
Forecasters say wind gusts might clock in at 40 mph or higher that day, “threatening portions of the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City.”
The strong winds could force officials to ground the parade’s balloons, which include Pikachu, Olaf and the Pillsbury Doughboy along with newcomers Astronaut Snoopy, “Spongebob Squarepants & Gary” and Smokey Bear, who would be returning to the Manhattan skies to celebrate his 75th birthday.
Officials told the New York Times that a final decision would not be made until Thursday morning.
A New York regulation states that the balloons cannot be flown if sustained winds exceed 23 mph and gusts top 34 mph, according to the New York Post
NBC’s Today show reports that the regulation was put into place in 1998 after a giant Cat in the Hat balloon injured four people when strong winds caused it to knock over a streetlight.
Another storm is also pushing southeast toward the Oregon and northern California coast Tuesday and is expected to continue strengthening before it makes landfall Tuesday night.
Winds are “likely to gust to over hurricane force” along the southwest coast of Oregon into coastal northwest California later Tuesday along with heavy mountain snows and coastal flooding.
Los Angeles could see isolated thunderstorms, small hail, possible flash flooding and up to 12 inches of snow in most areas, according to forecasters. Coastal southern California from San Diego to L.A. also have a flash flood threat.
Forecasters say the storms could meet or beat November low records in the affected areas.
There were no airport delays Tuesday morning, but delays are expected later as a storm moves across the Central U.S., according to Lissette Gonzalez, meteorologist for Miami Herald news partner CBS4.
Forecasters are recommending travelers check the local weather office of where they live and of where they’re going to see what conditions to expect.
This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 9:16 AM.
