Thanksgiving Travel 2023: Wind-Swept Rain May Hamper Trip Home In MA

Seasonal & Holidays

Thanksgiving Travel 2023: Wind-Swept Rain May Hamper Trip Home In MA The "busiest travel day of the year" is forecast to see early rain and wind gusts up to 45 mph.

The good news for travelers is that rain chances will diminish during the afternoon and night on Wednesday and that those traveling on Thanksgiving morning will find pleasant, albeit chilly, conditions. (Shutterstock)

MASSACHUSETTS — Those looking to head home early for the holiday across Massachusetts may have to do some adjusting to their travel schedule to avoid wind-swept rain on what is commonly referred to as "the busiest travel day of the year."

According to the National Weather Service, rain will move in late Tuesday night with fog forming overnight and winds ramping up to gusts up to 36 mph. The chance of precipitation is about 80 percent.

Rain is forecast to linger into the first part of Wednesday as winds increase out of the southwest. Temperatures will rise into the 50s early in the day but will be tempered by wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour.

The good news for travelers is that rain chances and the wind will diminish during the afternoon and night on Wednesday, and that those traveling on Thanksgiving morning will find pleasant, albeit chilly, conditions with widespread sunshine and highs in the lower 40s.

To help travelers along, the state Department of Transportation will suspend construction projects starting at 5 a.m. on Tuesday through 5 a.m. on Nov. 27.

The High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on I-93 between Boston and Quincy will extend its afternoon hours by opening from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

The HOV lane will be closed on Thursday and Friday. The Sumner Tunnel swing lane will not be deployed on Thursday on Friday.

MassDOT will keep the Sumner Tunnel open for use the next two weekends for the holiday travel with closures set to resume on Dec. 1.

For those looking to stay off the roads, the Commuter Rail will operate on a holiday schedule on Thursday but will accept $10 weekend round-trip travel passes. MBTA schedules can be found here .

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