Christmas travel weather forecast: Stormy Friday, then mostly quiet except for Northwest
The rain and storms that lashed the eastern U.S. on Thursday will continue to pelt portions of the East on Friday, leading to more flooding and potential travel troubles on the roads and in the air.
But over the weekend and into the Christmas holiday the weather should calm down and will remain on the tranquil side across most of the country. The one exception will be the Pacific Northwest, where a potent weekend storm will paste the area with rain, wind and snow.
On Friday, occasionally heavy rain, gusty winds and even some thunderstorms are likely in the Northeast; rain showers and wind are forecast for the eastern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Southeast, weather.com said.
After the storms move through, cooler air will filter in, allowing for accumulating snowfall across the lower Great Lakes and western slopes of the Appalachians on Friday into Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
The big storm will finally move away on Saturday, leaving only some lingering rain and snow over New England. As for winds, blustery conditions are expected to subside from south to north during Saturday and Saturday night in the East, and dry conditions should return by Saturday night and Sunday, AccuWeather said.
Winds may be strong enough to topple trees and cause sporadic power outages and rain heavy enough to cause flooding in parts of the eastern United States on Thursday and Friday as a potent storm system triggers widespread travel disruptions: https://t.co/4RCUFL9AcI pic.twitter.com/z5458ly3Qo
— AccuWeather (@breakingweather) December 20, 2018
The Pacific Northwest will see the nation's most volatile weather on Saturday and Sunday. By Sunday, drenching rain is likely in the Pacific Northwest and parts of Northern California. Snow will spread from the Cascades and Sierra into the Great Basin and northern Rockies.
A weak storm will also spread some very light snow and rain across portions of the central U.S. by Sunday, but few travel problems are likely.
Thursday was a wild weather day for the eastern and southern U.S. with flood watches in effect from Florida to Maine. At one point, nearly 70 million Americans were under a flood watch.
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Tornadoes were also reported in Florida. The twisters injured a woman and damaged dozens of homes in central Florida.
The Northwest also had its share of weather troubles Thursday: Strong winds knocked out power to thousands of customers in western Washington.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christmas travel weather forecast: Stormy Friday, then mostly quiet except for Northwest
