Tag Archives: nyc thanksgiving weather

NYC Weather Update, Thanksgiving – Nov 20, 2017

The weather looks to cooperate most of Thanksgiving week, aside from Tuesday night into Wednesday with a chance of rain as a cold front passes through. Travel impacts should be minimal. Thanksgiving Day itself should be pleasant, though on the cool side with below average temperatures.

Rest of today – earlier this morning, some areas in and around the city got the first few snowflakes of the season. There won’t be any more flurries today, but temperatures will be below normal with a stiff wind blowing from the west at 20 mph and gusts in the 30 mph range. Highs will probably only reach into the upper-40s as a result, even though we do anticipate skies clearing up in the afternoon.

Tuesday – winds turn to the southwest overnight into Tuesday as a high pressure center south of us today moves east, bringing us a shot of warm advection, and much warmer temperatures. Warmer than average highs in the upper-50s to near 60°F are forecast with sunny skies.

Wednesday – overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, rain chances increase as a cold front approaches the region. Rain showers may continue impacting the area into the AM rush. Once the cold front pushes through, winds shift back to the west and northwest, with gradual clearing conditions. High temperatures should be in the low-50s.

Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) – the passage of the cold front on Wednesday sets the stage for much cooler temperatures for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Cold advection will bring temperatures into the mid-30s overnight, and temperatures at the start of the parade will probably only be in the upper-30s. Fortunately, there should be no other adverse weather impacts on this annual festivity. High temperatures should top out in the low-mid 40s with mostly sunny skies.

NYC Thanksgiving Weather – Nov 23, 2015

Thanksgiving week starts off with a chill, but temperatures will warm nicely to end the week. Thanksgiving Day itself is shaping up to be a superb day with above normal temperatures near 60ºF and mostly sunny skies. There’s no real threat of precipitation worth mentioning through the week either.

Rest of today – cool with a high only in the low-40s.

Tuesday – will start off with temperatures barely above freezing in the city, and well below freezing in the outlying suburbs. In fact, a freeze watch has been issued for the city (with the exception of Staten Island, which already had a freeze earlier this fall). Winds will still be kicking up in the early part of the day, bringing wind chill values in the 30s. High temperatures only in the mid-40s.

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Wednesday – the high pressure depicted above will move offshore to our east. This puts us on the west side of the high, and the clockwise, return flow around that high pressure will mean a gradual shift in winds to the southwest, bringing warmer air along with it. Temperatures should rebound back into the lower-50s with lots of sunshine.

Thanksgiving Day – really can’t ask for better viewing conditions for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Temperatures at the start of the parade should be in the upper-40s to near 50ºF. Light winds should not present a problem for the multitude of balloons. High temperatures should reach into the mid-upper 50s by the afternoon.

Friday – should end up being the warmest day of the week, with high temperatures climbing into the low-60s ahead of an approaching cold front.

NYC Weather – Pre-Thanksgiving Storm Back On

It’s hard to believe now, with air temperatures still hovering around 60 at this hour on Monday, that by Wednesday, our entire region could be looking at accumulating snow! Over the weekend, it has become clear through progressive model runs that the mid-week storm that on Friday looked like it would miss us, is tracking to hit us on Wednesday, leading to a high impact storm just in time for the busiest travel day of the year. We’re talking the whole package: wind, rain, and snow.

Tuesday – we continue to stay in the warm sector of a low pressure system that will be exiting to our northeast through Quebec. Cloud cover will be minimal and we should see temperatures hold around the 60 degree mark.

Wednesday – a complex weather situation develops as a coastal low that forms offshore of the Georgia/Florida border Tuesday makes its way up the Northeast coast. Temperature profiles seem to be pointing towards a mostly snow event (the first big snow storm for the region). With the cold front pushing through late Tuesday, temperatures Wednesday will likely peak in the morning around 40 and start to drop slowly through the day as precipitation moves in across the area, generally from southwest to northeast. Wind will start to pick up, first from the southeast, then east and gradually becoming northeast between 25-35mph.nam-hires_namer_048_1000_850_thick

The tricky part about this forecast is that there is still enough uncertainty in the storm track for there to be some last minute changes. As it currently stands, the center of the strengthening coast low is forecast to move on top of or just west of the 40ºN 70ºW benchmark, a scenario that favors a high-impact nor’easter type event for our region. Winter storm watches are already up over much of the interior Northeast. In these areas, we are looking at anywhere from 4-10″+ (depending on where the heaviest band sets up). Along the coast, under the current forecast track and methodology, it is looking like enough rain mixes in during the day Wednesday to keep snow accumulations from topping 5-6″.

Again the storm track could change, and if the track moves slightly to the east, the heavier snow could hit the city, along with some colder air. Regardless, this does not bode well for people who are doing last-minute traveling for Thanksgiving. I would expect widespread flight delays, while traffic conditions on the road could deteriorate quickly especially later in the day with temperatures dropping and snow beginning to stick.

Thursday – Thanksgiving Day itself looks like it will be OK for the parade, and other activities. The coastal storm will have pulled to our northeast, and any lingering effects should clear up early. Temperatures will be around the 40 degree mark in the city, which means that snow which accumulates will not melt all that quickly.

Friday – will be the coldest day of the holiday stretch, with temperatures only in the mid-30s. Areas of snow that have melted during Thursday could re-freeze.

The remainder of the holiday weekend looks good so far, with no major precipitation anticipated until Sunday/Monday.