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November Monthly Highlight- Thanksgiving Forecast

November 20, 2020

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, we at the UW Madison AOS department recommend following CDC guidelines when it comes to travel for the holiday season. Nevertheless, November’s Highlight will be providing an overarching idea of what weather the United States might be experiencing over Thanksgiving weekend. As always with the forecasts provided in these blog posts, we recommend keeping up with up-to-date information.

The eastern half of the nation can expect warmer than average temperatures throughout the holiday weekend. New England and the Mid-Atlantic are expected to see rain, but current models are more uncertain on the exact outcomes a week out, making temperature predictions and how long precipitation will be lingering more difficult to forecast. The southeast coast can also expect some rain on Thanksgiving Day, and there is a chance for thunderstorms over northeastern Texas. Aside from these storms, however, temperatures are expected to be in the 70s throughout most of the South and Southeast.

The Midwest and Central plains are expected to be slightly warmer than average and overall dry for the weekend, with the only precipitation expected along the Canada-US border in North Dakota, Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In contrast, the northwest is expected to see rain and snow throughout Washington state, Oregon, and into Idaho. This contrasts the southwest, which is expected to be dry and mild for the season. This will provide a break from the high temperatures this week, but high Santa Ana winds bring a danger of elevated fire risk.

Due to the Thanksgiving recess on campus, there will not be a Weekly Weather Event posted next week. We wish all our readers a good holiday season.

-Megan Caldwell