Based on the American GFS forecast model, precipitation on Thanksgiving afternoon will be limited to portions of the eastern U.S., the Gulf Coast, and the Pacific Northwest. Image: tropicaltidbits.com
With Thanksgiving 2020 days away and government officials encouraging people to skip Thanksgiving Dinner entirely or hold it outside if they do due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many are curious what the weather conditions will be during the day. While temperatures look to be below normal in much of the eastern United States and above normal in the western half of the country, precipitation will be fairly limited across the country.
An area of low pressure will track across the midsection of the United States and into the Great Lakes region on Wednesday. This low will depart during the day on Thursday, with precipitation ending and clouds thinning from west to east during the day. By Thanksgiving Dinner time, precipitation should be limited to portions of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and coastal Virginia and North Carolina. Some scattered showers are also possible near the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Texas, Louisiana, and Florida; some isolated showers cannot be ruled out for portions of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia too.
In the west, on Wednesday, an area of low pressure will also enter the Pacific Northwest. While the southwest will remain dry, the disturbance moving through the Rockies will help produce showers and snow showers there on Thanksgiving. Fortunately for those planning to travel or stay outdoors, widespread heavy precipitation is not expected there on Thanksgiving.
Because of growing spread of the coronavirus in the United States, the CDC is urging Americans to avoid typical Thanksgiving travel and dinners this year. “Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year, ” the CDC warns. If people want to take on the risk of hosting a dinner, the CDC urges them to “have a small outdoor meal with family and friends who live in your community.” Rather than serving to a group, the CDC encourages people to bring their own food, drinks, plates, cups, and utensils, wear a mask at all times except when immediately eating and drinking, and use single-use options, like salad dressing and condiment packets and disposable items like food containers, plates, and utensils.
In those areas where weather won’t cooperate for an outdoor meal, the CDC urges Americans to “bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible.” They add, “you can use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through other open windows.”
