By Courtney Spamer, AccuWeather meteorologist
Snow, rain and gusty winds will wreak havoc up and down the West Coast on the busiest travel day of the year, with travel woes likely to continue into Thanksgiving Day. An early-week storm set the stage across much of the West, allowing for a winterlike chill to be entrenched across the Northwest and into much of California and Nevada. The more potent storm will late Tuesday and Tuesday night in southern Oregon and Northern California, and then will dive southward into Arizona and Utah through Thursday
The wet weather, combined with gusty winds across the state will cause travel concerns for much of the region on Wednesday and Thursday. "This storm threatens to bring rain and mountain snow to much of California, including places like San Francisco and Sacramento, places that were largely spared by the past week's rain," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Thompson. The storm could also set all-time pressure records in California and Oregon as the center of the system moves inland.
While burn scar areas may experience flooding and mudslides, travel woes are anticipated with the rounds of heavy rain expected for the L.A. Basin. Slick roadways will be a concern for motorists in places like Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego from Tuesday night through Thursday night. More than 55 million travelers are expected between the weekends before and after Thanksgiving, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). San Francisco's worst travel time is expected between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, by which time the city's heaviest rain is expected to be over. However, for Los Angeles, the estimated timeframe for most travelers is 5:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, when periods of rain are expected to continue.
Read more on: accuweather.com
