A wintry Thanksgiving and Black Friday for much of Lower 48

The season’s most wintry air mass to date is whipping up some weather troubles as we go through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. As one storm menaces Wednesday and Thursday, another targeting the Pacific Northwest on Turkey Day promises central states snow for the weekend.

Weather watch

Northern snow. A blizzard warning is in effect for a big chunk of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and part of neighboring Wisconsin. Other areas of the Great Lakes, particularly off Erie and Ontario, will also see blizzard conditions through Thanksgiving. In these areas, winds are expected to gust up to 50 or 55 mph. So far, at least 5 to 8 inches has fallen in the Dakotas and central Minnesota. A potent and gusty storm is driving the snow as it crosses the northern lakes region into southeastern Canada.

Lightning links

Tornado damages 100 homes in Houston 3 days before Thanksgiving. (Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather)

Thanksgiving Travel Weather Maps Tracker: Radar, Alerts, Airport Delays And More. (Weather Channel)

First Snowfall In Paris Creates Stunning Winter Wonderland. (Weather Channel)

Thanksgiving weather

The eastern two-thirds of the Lower 48 are mostly in the deep chill Thanksgiving and Black Friday, with cold either reinforced (central) or lingering (east) through the weekend.

Here are Thanksgiving highs:

And Black Friday lows:

Besides the cold air, areas of snow will continue to lead the headlines. As a first storm exits, a follow up is set to deliver a new swath of snow from the northern Plains to the Midwest and Great Lakes over the weekend. Cities such as Chicago could get in on multiple inches from this one.

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Weekday MWF morning newsletter by a journalist/forecaster. Connecting weather and climate change dots while occasionally stirring the pot.

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