Thanksgiving Weather Outlook Issued For Pennsylvania 2016

A stormy pattern persisting into Thanksgiving will have impact on the busiest cross-country travel week of the year. Forecasters say its possible storms that are supposed to batter the Midwest could impact Pennsylvania.

One storm is expected to converge on the Midwest and then, possibly, the Northeast during the middle of next week, according to an AccuWeather news release.

By Thanksgiving Day, storms that will first impact the Midwest could produce drenching rain along the New Jersey and New England coasts, with possible rain or snow inland, according to AccuWeather.

Here is the forecast for eastern Pennsylvania:

Before then, nice weather is expected for the Tuesday and Wednesday travel days in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but not so much in western Pennsylvania.

While the track and speed of the storms will vary, the bulk of the direct weather impacts are still expected to be over the northern half of the nation leading up to Thanksgiving, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

"The greatest chance of some direct and significant travel impacts through this week and during much of Thanksgiving week will be from the I-70 corridor on north to the Canada border," Pastelok said.

Regardless of calm weather at your departure or destination point, inclement weather at other airports could displace aircraft and crews for a time and lead to delays or cancellations, according to AccuWeather.

Meanwhile, in the Midwest, as travel ramps up Tuesday into Wednesday, storms will be gathering moisture and producing more substantial precipitation over part of the Central states.

While precise timing and the dividing line between rain and snow are not certain this far out, there is the potential for a substantial and impactful storm with rain and snow during the middle of next week.

The exact track and strength of the storm will determine where rain versus snow will fall over the Midwest and also the severity of any thunderstorms that swing through areas farther south.

More people travel farther during the week of Thanksgiving than any other week of the year, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).AAA is projecting that 48.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home Wednesday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Nov. 27, which will be the greatest volume since 2007, just prior to the Great Recession, according to the release.

Those hitting the highways or airports early to beat the rush may still encounter some trouble from Mother Nature late this week and this weekend.

Patch file photo