Thanksgiving Day is here at last, and for tens of millions of folks in the eastern half of the country, brisk, cold winds will be the main weather story.
In fact, the coldest air of the season so far will be surging across the central and eastern U.S., with many areas of the Plains, Midwest, and the East seeing temperatures dropping well below normal as a strong cold front gradually exits off the East Coast, the National Weather Service said.
With the exception of the lake-effect snow concerns around the Great Lakes, much of the eastern half of the country should be dry on Thanksgiving Day, but much of the Northeast will see strong, gusty winds.
Thus, many areas will see very blustery conditions for any outdoor Thanksgiving festivities, including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, the weather service said.
Heavy lake-effect snowfall should spread downwind of all of the Great Lakes by later Thanksgiving Day and into Friday, Nov. 28. As much as 1 to 2 feet of new snowfall is expected to fall downwind of all of the Great Lakes going through the end of the holiday week.
