Thanksgiving forecast: Here’s what’s in store for the country

Here’s another reason to give thanks this Thursday: The weather pattern on Thanksgiving Day is shaping up to be a rather docile one.

All the active weather is most likely happening in the days leading up to the holiday, and even then, most of that weather is limited to parts of the Northeast. A big cold front is bringing some accumulating snow spanning from northeast Ohio all the way up to Maine.

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, however, that weather system will have moved on, and some bitterly cold winter air will have taken its place.

Thanksgiving Day Will Be Chilly But Clear

The cold air stretches into portions of the Midwest and Southeast while the western half of the country will be able to avoid winter’s chill.

Temperatures in most of the Plains and up and down the Rockies will be significantly warmer than usual as everyone’s digging into their turkey dinners.

A few light rain showers may be scattered up and down the West Coast, but the rain won’t amount to anything significant.

Black Friday Will Warm Things Up

The bitter cold from Thanksgiving only briefly lingers in the Northeast in the early morning hours of Black Friday, but warmer air will quickly move in.

Milder air moving in during the day means marathon shoppers may be wearing more layers in the early morning hours before having to shed those layers as the day wears on. However, the additional layers may only be required in the Northeast and parts of the Southeast.

Everyone else in the U.S. is going to get some warmer air through most of the day.

As for rain, a few light showers may develop along a front in the middle of the country, stretching all the way from Wisconsin down to Louisiana.

More scattered rain is expected in the Pacific Northwest and into parts of northern California, which is typical this time of year, and that rain will be relatively light.

It appears the United States is going to make it through an entire Thanksgiving holiday this year without any significant weather to cause extended travel delays.

That is surely something we can all be thankful for.

Jason Meyers is a part-time meteorologist and big time fan of looking up. You can follow him on Twitter or watch one of his entertaining and educational YouTube videos.