Sunday, November 23, 2014

Philly Thanksgiving Week: Warmth Precedes Travel-Disrupting Storm

By , Senior Meteorologist
November 23,2014; 9:40PM,EST
 
 
The warmth surging into Philadelphia will not last long this Thanksgiving week with a storm threatening to significantly disrupt holiday travel on the horizon.
While the weekend ended on a milder note, the passage of rain Sunday night will open the door for a taste of spring on Monday.
Monday will feel more like May with temperatures breaking the day's record high of 71 F from 1979.
Dry weather in the afternoon will compliment the springlike warmth. Gusty winds, however, could lead to minor flight delays.


Residents should not put jackets too deep into their closets as Monday's warmth will not last long.
As quick as temperatures soar, cooler air will knock temperatures back down to more typical late-November highs on Tuesday. A high in the lower 50s is more common this time of year.
Attention will then turn toward a storm that is set to ride up the East Coast and threaten to create Thanksgiving travel nightmares on Wednesday.
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The precise impacts from the storm will be determined by the exact track the storm takes along the East Coast.
The best scenario for Thanksgiving travelers would be in the storm remains weak and stays far enough offshore for rain and wet or nuisance snow to graze the city.
However, concern is growing that the storm will be strengthening and tracking closer to the coast. This scenario would bring more widespread heavy rain, substantial snow and gusty winds to the Philadelphia area.
If the stronger storm scenario pans out, latest indications point toward the heaviest snow targeting the northern and western suburbs. However, snow could even accumulate in Center City and a slight eastward shift in the storm's track could put the city in the heaviest snow band.

Travelers planning to head to their Thanksgiving Day destinations on Wednesday should continue to check back with AccuWeather.com for the latest on this storm and start considering travel alternatives in the event this major travel-disrupting scenario unfolds.
Heavy rain alone would lead to slowdowns by reducing visibility and heightening the risk of vehicles hydroplaning at highways speeds. Snow will make roads treacherous and dramatically delay motorists. Airline passengers should prepare for lengthy delays and possible cancellations.
Regardless of exactly which areas receive rain or snow, Tuesday night would definitely be a better option for travelers to leave the area. Conditions will only worsen as Wednesday progresses.
The storm's rain and snow will clear the Philadelphia area by Thanksgiving Day and the city's annual parade.

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