Which states could see snow on Thanksgiving? See a projected snowfall forecast map

Editor's note: Follow USA TODAY's Wednesday coverage of the Thanksgiving 2024 weather forecast and travel updates.

Winter weather could potentially cause travel delays this week as people are hitting the road and sky for Thanksgiving travel.

In the West, a moderate atmospheric river is expected to accompany a surface low pressure system it moves into the area Tuesday, spreading "anomalous moisture" over southern and central California, the Great Basin and Central Rockies, according to the National Weather Service.

"Heavy coastal and mountain rain may lead to instances of flash flooding, particularly over the windward foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada below 8,000 feet, where excessive rainfall may cause land/rock/mudslides," the NWS said in a forecast Tuesday morning.

Snow accumulations between 1 to 3 feet are possible over the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, as well as much of the Intermountain West and the Central Rockies on Tuesday.

"We are tracking a storm moving ashore in Northern California into Tuesday that will have rainy and snowy implications in the East two days later," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said in a forecast Tuesday.

"There are many variables we are still analyzing with this storm with track and intensity being the keys to where the rain and snow line will set up and the amount of snow that will fall in the Midwest and Northeast," Rayno said.

Live weather updates: Storms, snow threaten chaos for Thanksgiving holiday travelers

According to AccuWeather, as the storm shifts eastward, it will gather more moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and gain strength from Wednesday night to Thursday night.

"How much the storm strengthens in the East will determine not only how far north it will track but also the approximate boundary between rain and snow and whether the snow struggles to accumulate or piles up enough to create slippery travel," Rayno said.

Snow showers are also expected to continue across the Great Lakes this week with parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and downwind areas of Lake Ontario seeing between 4 to 8 inches of snow by Thursday morning, the NWS forecast said.

Colorado snow forecast: Multiple feet expected in the Rockies amid winter storm warnings

Cold turkey? Arctic blast to chill much of US after Thanksgiving

Snow forecast map

The map below shows the probability that an area could receive more than 4 inches of snow. Use the slider at the top left to toggle by day.

Winter weather forecast map: See full version

Weather warnings and watches around the US

National weather radar

Arctic blast to chill much of US after Thanksgiving

Shockingly cold air funneled directly from the Arctic will be making an unwelcome appearance across nearly the entire eastern half of the country this weekend and into early next week, forecasters said Monday, and the cold may stick around for a while.

It's the first significant Arctic outbreak of the season and it will arrive in the northern Rockies and northern Plains on Thanksgiving and Friday, the National Weather Service said. The cold will then advance farther south and east through much of the Plains and Midwest this weekend.

How cold? By Saturday morning, about 196 million Americans could be waking up to below-freezing temperatures, according to Weather.com.

Overall, temperatures by the weekend in many locations will be more typical of mid-January, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said in a post on X.

Travel records are also in forecast

Anything that jams up flights would be coming at a historically bad time.

Last week, the Transportation Security Administration said it expects to see its busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record, estimating its agents will screen 18.3 million people from Tuesday through Dec. 2. That would represent a 6% increase from 2023.

Passenger volumes have reached record highs in 2024; there has been an increase of 17% since 2022, the TSA said in a statement. TSA Administrator David Pekoske said the 10 busiest travel days in the TSA's history have all occurred in 2024, adding that "we anticipate that trend to continue."

Low gas prices could drive record travel

AAA projects 79.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from their homes for Thanksgiving from Tuesday to Dec. 2. That represents 1.7 million more travelers than last year and 2 million more than in 2019.

“Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel, and this year we’re expecting to set new records across the board, from driving to flying and cruising,” said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel.

Low gas prices are expected to fuel record travel. The national average will possibly drop below $3 a gallon for the first time since 2021.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is it going to snow on Thanksgiving? See a snowfall forecast map