Storm May Disrupt Thanksgiving Travel: Hudson Valley Forecast
HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Thanksgiving week in the Hudson Valley is opening with below-average temperatures to be followed by heavy rain and gusty winds before we get a short break on Thanksgiving Day.
The National Weather Service has already issued a hazardous outlook for the mid-Hudson region about a wide-ranging storm that is expected to move across our region late Tuesday into Wednesday.
In Dutchess and Ulster counties, precipitation may begin as a period of snow or wintry mix before changing to rain. A light accumulation is possible for northern and high terrain areas, which may lead to some locally slippery travel, the NWS said.
Travelers headed out of town Tuesday will see the worst conditions.
SEE: Thanksgiving Travel 2023: Back To Busy, AAA Says
"The storm will make for miserable travel on the roads on Tuesday in much of the I-80, I-81 and I-95 mid-Atlantic region," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. "The heaviest rain may hold off until late Tuesday afternoon in New York City and until late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning around Boston. Motorists should expect delays due to this storm. When combined with the high volume of traffic anticipated, any mishap or ponding on some of the highways can lead to major delays and potentially miles of stopped vehicles."
Airline delays are possible also due to winds, drenching rain and poor visibility, AccuWeather meteorologists predicted.
"The stiff east-to-southeast winds averaging 25-35 mph with gusts of 40-45 mph can pose a problem at some of the airports from Washington, D.C. , to Philadelphia and New York City with the worst conditions likely from late Tuesday afternoon to Tuesday evening," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said.
"Tuesday night and Wednesday will have strong gusty winds likely peaking near 35 MPH," Bruce Furbeck of First Due Weather said on Facebook. "A southeasterly flow Tuesday night will transition to a northwesterly flow by late Wednesday morning. I would hold off with setting up inflatables and large outside Christmas decorations until after this wind event."
If you're headed into the city for the parade, there's good news.
"The latest weather models and weather data are now showing that the rain in NYC for Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day parade looks to stop a little sooner on Wednesday, as early as around 12pm," Todd Snow of Hudson Valley Weather said on Facebook. "This is good news because everyone with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade starts setting up the day before the parade filling up the balloons and setting up the floats, etc."
Here's the five-day forecast based on Rockland County:
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