Weather Blog: Pre-Thanksgiving Storm
By Justin Drabick
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--If you have travel plans for Thanksgiving either on the roads or in the sky, prepare for delays as a large storm will impact the eastern U.S. Tuesday & Wednesday.
Low pressure currently over the northern Gulf of Mexico is developing and will track northeast into the mid-Atlantic over the next 24 hours. Rain, snow, and ice are already impacting parts of the deep south.
Here in the Delaware Valley, expect rain to develop Tuesday afternoon and become heavy late Tuesday night.
With the recent arctic air mass in place, a period of snow, sleet or freezing rain with light accumulation is possible in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos initially, before changing over to all rain as temperatures warm into the 40s.
The heaviest rain will occur late Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, before ending Wednesday afternoon. With abundant moisture available from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, rainfall amounts of 2" or more are possible through the region.
Windy conditions are also expected, especially along the coast with some coastal flooding possible.
For people traveling outside the Delaware Valley, winter storm watches are in effect for western PA and interior New England for accumulating snow.
Winter weather advisories are issued for areas west of Baltimore, parts of VA and West VA. Freezing rain advisories are issued for western NC.
This is a large storm system impacting the eastern U.S. so expect travel delays.
