Holiday treat: Most of U.S. to enjoy nice weather for Thanksgiving

Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Forecasters are projecting favorable weather for most of the United States during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

As nearly 51 million Americans gear up to travel around the holiday, the Pacific Northwest will be one problematic spot for those in transit. Coastal rain and mountain snow are forecast as a Pineapple Express storm generates moisture.

Airports in Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Wash., should expect flight delays, AccuWeather said.

"Rainfall totals in those areas could range from 1 to 3 inches with localized amounts up to 5 inches, especially across coastal Washington, spanning Tuesday through Thursday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.

He said snowfall will be limited to highest elevations of the northern Cascades, Bitterroots and Wyoming Rockies.

Farther south on the West Coast, record-high temperatures are forecast. Temperatures in the 80s and 90s are forecast in Southern California and the Southwestern United States.

Phoenix could hit 90 degrees Wednesday and Thursday. The record-latest 90-degree day is Nov. 15 in 1999.

Temperatures will be much chillier in the Midwest and Northeast as two cold fronts move into the area, according to Weather.com.

One cold front will drop temperatures below average Tuesday in the upper Midwest and then head to the East Coast on Wednesday into Thanksgiving Day.

Then, another front will bring colder temperatures across the Midwest and into portions of the East this weekend into early next week. The high will be in the 20s and 30s for many areas of the Midwest and Northeast. Some spots near the Canadian border possibly will be in the upper teens.

"Those traveling across North Dakota on Wednesday will want to be on alert for a brief period of snow, sleet or freezing rain which could create slick spots on roadways," Rathbun said.

For the annual Macy's Thanksgiving parade in New York, temperatures will move from the low 30s to the upper 30s between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. But no rain and a slight breeze is forecast.

Father south, temperatures should hit the 40s toward the mid-Atlantic coast and in the 50s in the Southeast.

Florida will be warmer but thunderstorms are forecast.