Connecticut Weather, Travel Thanksgiving 2017 Outlook

Many Connecticut residents will be heading out of town today or Wednesday and the forecast offers one challenging time period. Rain is expected to begin falling around daybreak in Connecticut on Wednesday and it’s unclear how much rain we’ll be receiving.

Some areas could get just spotty showers, while some models show up to 1.5 inches of rain, local meteorologists say. No matter what happens with the rain, it will end by the afternoon and then it’s sunny skies straight through Sunday. Temps will be chilly and seasonal but not too bad for this time of year.

Also on Wednesday, Fox 61 Meteorologist Rachel Frank took a crack at predicting the long-range winter forecast for Connecticut, but she admits it’s very challenging to do.

“I don’t claim to have all the answers. It’s true, forecasting 7 days out it challenging enough. Long range forecasting is another ball of wax. But it’s fun to look through the crystal ball once in awhile. Let’s see how we do!” Frank said on her Facebook page.

In Frank’s analysis she is “forecasting a volatile winter with changeable temperatures, cold shots followed by periods of milder weather.” She also says this winter will be colder than last year and she’s predicting “above average” snowfall. You can read Rachel Frank’s in depth winter outlook for Connecticut here.

Concerning Wednesday’s rain threat, NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan wrote on his Facebook page that it’s a “tough call with the amount of rain tonight.”

“There's going to be a tight gradient west-to-east across the state with the least along the New York border and the most near Rhode Island. This diagram for Bradley Airport shows the different solutions in our Short Range Ensemble Forecast model - anything from 0" to 1.5". As always, the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. Rain will taper off tomorrow morning with clearing skies by midday.”

See also: Thanksgiving 2017 DUI Checkpoints, Extra Patrols In Connecticut

Nearly 51 million people will travel for Thanksgiving, the highest number in 12 years, according to the American Automobile Association. What does that mean for traffic? AAA predicts that traffic in the most congested cities could take up to three times as long as the same trip under "optimal" conditions.

Most travelers will be driving, AAA said. That's despite the highest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2014. AAA predicts automobile travel will grow by 3.2 percent, with 45.5 million Americans planning a holiday road trip.

"A strong economy and labor market are generating rising incomes and higher consumer confidence, fueling a strong year for the travel industry, which will continue into the holiday season," said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, Travel and Publishing

If you're driving around the Connecticut/tri-state area, AAA says the worst time to be on the roads will be 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, when traffic will be two times its normal volume. If you're flying, the worst time to get to the airports will also be Tuesday evening. And be sure you service your car before starting out: AAA predicts it will have to rescue more than 330,000 motorists this Thanksgiving season.

Here is the updated Thanksgiving week/weekend forecast for southern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 56. Southwest wind 14 to 16 mph.

Tonight: Rain likely, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 44. Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of rain before noon. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 54. West wind 8 to 14 mph becoming north in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 29. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. North wind 8 to 11 mph.

Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 43. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 47.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 53.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 45.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.

Here is the updated Thanksgiving week/weekend forecast for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 57. South wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tonight: A chance of rain, mainly after 3am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 46. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A chance of rain, mainly before 9am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 49. South wind 5 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 41. Light and variable wind.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 46.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 51.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 42.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Image via Shutterstock

Patch Editor Lanning Taliaferro contributed to this story.