Thanksgiving Travel Expected To Be Soggy With High Winds On LI: NWS

Thanksgiving Travel Expected To Be Soggy With High Winds On LI: NWS The silver lining? No snow is expected, experts say.

High winds and heavy rain are slated for Tuesday night as travelers hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday. (Shutterstock)

LONG ISLAND, NY — As crowds head to the airports and hit the roads for the Thanksgiving holiday, for Long Islanders, the trip is expected to be soggy, with high winds in the forecast — making conditions difficult on one of the heaviest travel days of the year.

According to Matthew Wunsch, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Upton, Tuesday's weather is expected to be "pretty quiet through much of the day," with a high pressure system overhead.

As the high pressure shifts offshore, a "decent storm system is coming our way into tomorrow night," Wunsch said.

Tuesday night will bring heavy winds with southeast gusts of upwards of 30 miles per hour and localized winds of up to 40 miles per hour, especially on the East End of Long Island, he said.

A "pretty strong frontal system" will bring the potential for heavy rain Tuesday night, with showers beginning as early as 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the bulk of that rain falling Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Rain is expected to last through Wednesday morning, when it will taper off into residual showers, Wunsch said.

A total of an inch-and-a-half to 2 inhes of rain is forecast, with the possibility of up to 2 and a quarter inches in some areas, he said.

SEE: Thanksgiving Travel 2023: Back To Busy, AAA Says

Most of the steadiest rain and strongest winds are slated to take place Tuesday night, he said. "The timing is better than if this was forecast for the middle of the day," Wunsch said.

The good news? After Wednesday's rain tapers off, Thanksgiving is expected to be dry, with the chance of winds gusts of 10 to 15 miles per hour, and up to 20 to 25 in some areas, he said.

Temperatures Tuesday are expected to be in the upper 40s and low 50s; Wednesday will be warmer, in the upper 50s to low 60s, he said. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving is expected to bring temps in the middle 50s, Wunsch said.

As for the weekend travel home, Wunsch said as a new high pressure system moves into the area, there's the chance of another system developing offshore.

One thing, Wunsch added, should mean good news for travelers: "We aren't expecting any snow."

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