Christmas holiday travel is about to ramp up, and the weather could lead to significant headaches both on the roads and at some East Coast airports already Friday.
Friday
Friday will bring unsettled weather to both coasts, with windy weather in between.
West: The heaviest rain will fall in Northern California, as far south as the Bay Area-Sacramento Interstate 80 corridor. Watch for local flash flooding, especially near areas recently burned by wildfires. Light showers will continue in the Pacific Northwest and snow could make travel slippery in the Cascades and northern Rockies.
Central:It will be quite windy in the Plains from Texas to Minnesota and the Dakotas. You'll have to keep a tight grip on the steering wheel, particularly on east-west roads.
East:A powerful cold front will produce strong winds over much of the East and Great Lakes, particularly the Northeast. These wind gusts may be capable of tree damage, power outages and flight delays in the Northeast, especially in the morning. Bands of heavy rain are expected Friday ahead of the front, with wind-driven heavy lake-effect snow possible in the eastern Great Lakes snowbelts.
Potential weather-related flight delays: Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Saturday
Saturday will most likely be the best travel day of the weekend. The system in the East has moved out, and the only real trouble spots will be in the West. Rain and snow from an atmospheric river will keep the region unsettled.
West Coast, Rockies:Lingering precipitation will be possible from Washington to central California, however, not as intense as days prior. Mountain snow will impact the Cascades and portions of the Rockies as well. Make sure you check snow conditions before hitting the roads in this region.
Great Lakes:Some spots could still be dealing with snow around the Great Lakes, however, mostly limited to Michigan and northern Wisconsin.
Potential weather-related flight delays: Seattle, San Francisco, Salt Lake City
Sunday
There looks to be a resurgence of moisture on Sunday in the West unfortunately, with more rain and mountain snow possible. There could also be more rain and snow in the East, for extreme northern portions of the interior Northeast. Lastly, possible showers begin to pop up across the South that could impact and/or slow your holiday travel plans.
West:While all the fine details are still a bit uncertain, models are suggesting another surge of moisture in the West by Sunday. This means more heavy rainfall for areas already hit hard by rain and flooding, and another round of mountain snow for the higher elevations and possible mountain passes.
East:Gulf moisture could enhance rainfall from the Gulf Coast to the Appalachians. Snow will be possible for the interior portions of the Northeast as well.
While it doesn't look like a major system at this time, we will continue to monitor the forecast and update with any changes.
Potential weather-related flight delays: Seattle, San Francisco, Boise, Nashville
Monday
Monday will basically be a rinse and repeat of Sunday. With rain and snow continuing in the West and rain for parts of the South. More snow starts to creep into the Upper Midwest as well.
West:As the water-logged West continues to deal with rain, make sure you check ahead to see what the travel conditions will be like on the roads, as well as he airports. Plan on delays if you are traveling through Seattle or Portland. Also check conditions of the mountain passes, as days of snow could have an impact on trecherous travel in the higher elevations. Snow will still be falling for portions of the Cascades and northern Rockies.
South:Showers will stick around in the South on Monday, stretching from Houston to Lexington. Plan extra time if you are traveling I-55, I-65 or I-20 across the South.
Potential weather-related flight delays: Seattle, Portland, Jackson, Nashville
This Weekend's Temperature Outlook
As you travel this weekend, keep in mind that there will be huge temperature swings across the country. And even huge swings day-by-day in certain cities this weekend.
The Southwest will stay warm, and it will even be pretty mild in places like Denver (although temperatures will be steadily dropping here). The South will stay warmer than we have been recently, with a gradual warmup through the weekend in Atlanta.
Temperatures are more interesting in the North. Highs in the Upper Midwest will stay in the teens and 20s through the weekend, but with an advancing cold front across the region, places like Chicago and New York City will be on a bit of a temperature roller coaster through the weekend.
Make sure you check back often since the forecast will likely change. We hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season.
Jennifer Grayis a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.
