Pre-Thanksgiving Storm Will Bring Travel Impacts

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - One more quiet day today before a wintry mess will arrive later tonight through Wednesday. High pressure remains in control today. Expect another day with mostly sunny skies and cold conditions. Highs will be mostly in the 30s.

A low that will is currently bringing rain & severe weather to parts of the Southern Plains will make its way in our direction over the coming days. For many of us this will be our first significant snowfall of the season and with it expected to arrive the day before Thanksgiving, a busy travel day, I have decided to issue a FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAY on Wednesday for INLAND locations only.

First Alert Weather Day for Inland areas on Wednesday due to accumulating snow.(wabi)

The precipitation will start late tonight as snow for most of the region. Many of us will be waking up to a light coating of snow on Wednesday morning. As the low passes into the Gulf of Maine on Wednesday, warmer air will be drawn in and will cause the snow from the foothills towards the coast to slowly change from snow over to rain. This will wash away most of the accumulations for communities along south & east of the Interstate. The mountains will stay as snow for almost the entire duration of the event and is also where the greatest totals will be. As the low moves to our northeast late Wednesday night into early Thursday, the precipitation will clear out will some communities in the north seeing their rain briefly change to rain before ending. A few lingering rain and snow showers will be possible into Thanksgiving morning.

For anyone travelling on Wednesday do be prepared for wet roads closer to the coast along with snow-covered roads and low visibility farther inland.

Snowfall totals will be less than an inch along the coast and will be washed away by the rain. Along I-95 expect 1-2″ which will become slushy due to the rain. For the foothills, including places like Skowhegan & Dover-Foxcroft, 2-5″ are likely and will be dependent on how quickly the change from snow to rain occurs. In the Mountains and over the north where it will be all snow, 4-8″.

By Thanksgiving morning, the low will be moving out and just a few light rain & snow showers will be possible. The rest of the day will be dry with increasing sunshine. Highs will reach the upper 30s to low 40s.

High pressure will return by Friday and will stick around through the weekend. Expect mostly sunny skies with cold conditions. Highs will only be in the 30s and low 40s.

Watching another low that could bring more rain & snow to the region by the start of next week.

TODAY: Mostly sunny with highs in the 30s. Light & variable wind.

WEDNESDAY: FIRST ALERT INLAND. Accumulating snow in the north. Snow changing to rain closer to the coast. Highs in the 30s and 40s. Breezy ESE wind that will gust up to 30 mph.

THANKSGIVING: Early morning light rain & snow showers possible. Brightening skies for the rest of the day. Highs in the 30s and low 40s.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny with highs in the 30s and low 40s.

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny with highs in the 30s.

SUNDAY: Increasing clouds with highs in the 30s and low 40s.