The biggest travel week is upon us and the weather across Metro Detroit will range from mild and wet earlier in the week to cold and wintry to wrap up the holiday. 

The first storm system will bring a chance for light-to-moderate rain showers across the area throughout the day Tuesday.  However, temperatures will remain on the mild side for late November with highs in the low 50s. 

 

A second front will sweep through the area on Wednesday with another round of rain trying to scoot through Metro Detroit.  This time it will trigger strong winds and much colder weather with temperatures tumbling throughout the day.

Youll definitely need to bundle up on Thanksgiving!  The blast of frigid air settles in for the holiday and sticks around for the weekend.  Morning lows will start in the 20s and afternoon temperatures will only rise into the 30s.  There will be a biting wind chill in the teens and 20s.  This winter-like chill will ignite the lake-effect machine across the Great Lakes, including Metro Detroit.  If youre traveling across Michigan on Thanksgiving Day, youll need to watch for slick and snowy road conditions through the heavier snow belt areas, like northwest Lower Michigan, the U.P. and the southwest portions of Lower Michigan. It looks like we may catch a brief break from the snow across Metro Detroit on Friday, but the typical Michigan snow belts will likely see more lake effect to finish the week.

 

Well keep an eye on next weekend for another potential storm system moving through Lower Michigan.  Its still a bit far away but be on alert for a hit of wintry weather, which could lead to messy travel after Thanksgiving with snow developing next Saturday changing to a wintry mix to close out the weekend. 

 

The Climate Prediction Center has consistently displayed an upcoming atmospheric pattern shift bringing this winter-like weather across Metro Detroit.Again, the initial taste of arctic air filtering in midweek and maintaining its cold grip on the region into, at least, early December.   

The biggest travel week of the year is still over a week away, but were already looking ahead because we know it typically doesnt arrive without some weather disruptions. If youre getting an early start on your holiday travel this week, a storm system will brush by bringing a rain and snow mix to Metro Detroit by Tuesday afternoon and evening. This system doesn't look too strong and shouldn't interfere much with local travel.

However, our weather pattern becomes more active with a potentially stronger storm system bringing a wet and wind-packed finish to the week, which could slow down travel across Metro Detroit Thursday afternoon through Friday.

If youre traveling the week of Thanksgiving, you may be dealing with more disruptions across parts of the nation.While its still a bit early to really dive into weather specifics, we can look at model trends moving forward into the holiday.A stormy pattern may be shaping up out west and for parts the deep south, snow and rain chances in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes with the calmest weather down south, especially for those traveling to Florida for the week of Thanksgiving.

The main storm system to watch is a trough entering the Rockies and moving into the Plain states the beginning Thanksgiving week.This system will tap into Gulf moisture and introduce warmer air surging north colliding with colder air aloft. This will help initiate rain and storms for the Plains and trigger snow chances to the north.Snow could delay and disrupt travel from Denver to Minneapolis as the storm track continues through the northern plains and in the Midwest.

The Northeast and the south could see some trouble with wind, rain and mixed precipitation the Saturday after Thanksgiving when many people are heading back home after the Thanksgiving holiday.