SACRAMENTO, Calif — Thanksgiving week will begin with rain in the Central Valley and snow in the Sierra, leading to some travel impacts Monday and Tuesday.
Rain will mainly be light in the Capital Region, so slick roads are about the only impact to start the workweek. However, in the Sierra, an additional 1-2 feet of snow is likely from Monday through early Wednesday morning. This means chain controls and continued difficult winter travel conditions.
Snow from this system will push eastward across the Sierra into northern Nevada and Utah on Tuesday. If you're planning on driving Interstate 80 between Tahoe and Salt Lake City on Tuesday, the majority of that drive could be in winter weather conditions. Snow could still be on the road Wednesday morning.
The weather will be clearing here in the capital region on Wednesday, and we'll be dry through Thanksgiving. Southern California may see some light showers through Wednesday, but it's nothing that should hinder travel.
On Wednesday, the system tracks further east and will bring snow to Denver and the Colorado front range. We know a lot of flights connect through Denver, so if you're flying on Wednesday and you're connecting through Denver, keep an eye on the flight status.
On Thanksgiving Day, travel conditions actually look pretty good across most of the United States, the lone exception being parts of the Southeast where some rain is possible. Atlanta could be impacted, and that's another big hub for airlines.
Here in the Golden State, Thanksgiving is looking mainly dry but chilly. Northern California will be in the 50s with mostly sunny skies. Southern California will be in the 60s with partly to mostly cloudy skies. Some light showers are possible for the Los Angeles area, though nothing that would greatly impact travel.
Thanksgiving temperatures across the United States will be mainly on the cool to cold side of things, with the exceptions being the Gulf Coast and South Texas. Just about everywhere else will be experiencing jacket weather.
The upper Great Plains and Rocky Mountains will be particularly cold, with temps in Bismarck, North Dakota, only in the teens; Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the twenties; and Denver, Colorado, in the 30s. The warmer spots on the map are Florida (obviously); New Orleans, Louisiana; South Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona; which will all see highs in the 70s and 80s.
Weather for the return trip back to California looks pretty good, with most of the country looking at dry conditions for Friday, although some rain and snow is possible in the Pacific Northwest, as well as upper New England.
