A pre-Thanksgiving storm may disrupt holiday travel this week.
Forecasters say there could be severe thunderstorms, gusty winds, heavy rain and snow as the storm tracks from the central to the eastern United States.
The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center said a "vigorous upper-level trough" that is moving over the western United States will "send a wave of inclement weather rapidly from west to east" over the next couple of days.
As the system moves toward the Lower Mississippi Valley, there may be an enhanced risk of severe weather that could bring damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes.
"The most significant bout of inclement weather appears to be later today into tonight from eastern Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley where
outbreak of severe thunderstorms are possible," the NWS said Monday. "Some of the thunderstorms could contain high winds and tornadoes, together with heavy downpours and hail."
By Tuesday, there will be a chance for widespread showers and thunderstorms for the Midwest, Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley before heading into the Northeast. Thunderstorms could again reach severe levels across the Mid-South and possibly down toward the central Gulf Coast as the dynamic cold front sweeps across the region from west to east.
"Temperatures will probably be cold enough to support some wet snow early on Tuesday over the upper Midwest, reaching eastward into interior New England by Tuesday night along with some freezing rain possible," the NWS said.
On Wednesday, a wintry mix is possible across New England while periods of lake effect snow are possible downwind of the Great Lakes.
The NWS said a "large dome of high pressure" building behind the storm system will then settle across much of the western U.S for the end of the week. Santa Ana winds are also expected to develop over southern California throughout the week.
Meantime, the NWS said light precipitation and wintry weather are expected across the Northwest and Northern Rockies through Thanksgiving, before snowfall potential reaches the central Rockies and central High Plains on Friday.
Temperatures will be generally seasonable for the East Coast, cool and bit below average for New England, but will remain mild over the northern Plains, according to the forecast. In contrast, temperatures will be below average across much of the West with the passage of the upper trough. Highs along the coast will be closer to seasonable with mostly 50s and 60s, and 70s for southern California.
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