The Thanksgiving travel conditions are looking bleak for Bostonians. On top of the already awful traffic going east and west (50,000 flights are expected to launch out of Logan during the 10-day Thanksgiving peak) there are slippery weather predictions in the forecast.
While Boston itself will have no more than some rain on Wednesday, Western parts of Massachusetts and Northern states like New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine are expecting slushy, snowy conditions for most of the day on Wednesday, and especially during peak travel times for the Thanksgiving holiday.
When will the snow begin?
Precipitation is expected to start in New England and surrounding parts of Canada and New York on Tuesday night at around 9 PM. The storm is traveling from the Southwest. The precipitation will last through about 10 PM on Wednesday night with select areas clearing closer to 5PM. Thanksgiving Day and the rest of the weekend is expected to be dry.
Where will there be snow?
Central and Western Massachusetts will have snow coming in at high elevations around 7 PM on Tuesday night. The storm will pick up and travel to Northern New England bringing in 1-3 inches or more.
WBZ notes “before dawn on Wednesday, the snow will have changed to rain in even the coldest pockets of southern New England.” For areas with rain, “the rain will come down heavy at times Wednesday morning through about midday. There may be some brief, localized flooding and ponding on the roads during this time.”
Traffic expectations for Thanksgiving
The peak travel time in Boston is Wednesday from 1-3 PM according to AAA. Expect the worst traffic from mid-day on Wednesday. If wanting to beat the traffic, travel on Tuesday or Wednesday early in the morning (before 5 AM) or late in the evening (after 7 PM), according to AAA.
If flying, about 50,000 flights depart Logan during the 10 peak travel days of Thanksgiving.
When returning, 1-7 PM on Sunday is noted to be the worst returning traffic period.