Inclement weather to accompany turkey dinner for Thanksgiving

Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Almost on cue, some of the coldest weather of the year, including disruptive storms, are planning to become uninvited guests during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Millions of travelers who are on the move on one of the busiest Thanksgiving seasons in recent memories will make their way to their destinations in rainy and snowy conditions. Forecasters predict much of the weekend will look more like February than fall.

Rain is expected to start on Wednesday night, stretching from the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley through the Appalachians. Thursday morning travelers from Illinois to northern Pennsylvania and southern New York are expected to find a slippery snow and rain mix by Thanksgiving morning.

The nasty weather is being generated by a storm system that will be coming over the Rocky Mountains into the Midwest on Wednesday. That same storm was expected to dump heavy snow over Colorado, including the busy airline travel hub of Denver, on Wednesday.

Winter storm watches were issued by the National Weather Service for parts of the Northeast and New England because of the snow and icy mix potential through Thanksgiving. Upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine were all part of the watch.

Thoroughfares such as Interstates 81, 88 and 90, which are all expected to be heavily traveled over the holiday, could see poor road conditions over the next several days, forecasters said.

Meteorologists said that, while the rain won't be enough to cause flooding, it will be enough to make things uncomfortable enough to slow down long-distance travelers.

The weather is expected to dry up on Friday through the weekend but is expected to bring the coldest temperatures. Arctic air from the north is expected to create plenty of lake-effect snow with gusts from 20 to 30 mph through the Midwest much of Friday.

Along with Denver, Chicago's two major airports -- O'Hare International and Chicago Midway -- could see weather delays, as well. Most of the upper Plains and the West Coast could have good weather for Thanksgiving.

Several days of snow in upper Michigan and upstate New York will persist through Sunday, forecasters say.