Farmers' Almanac, AccuWeather predict Thanksgiving 2023 weather: What's the Florida forecast?

C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·3 min read

Holidays come up on you fast, and a big one is coming. So what's the weather going to be like for Thanksgiving this year?

It's a little early to predict specific temperatures and conditions. but the Farmers Almanac has released its nationwide forecast for the holiday weekend, Thursday, Nov. 23 through Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, and other sources have some general predictions. Here's what everyone is saying.

What will the weather be like in Florida for Thanksgiving?

The Farmers' Almanac 2024 forecasts a winter with traditional cool temperatures and snowy weather conditions for the United States.
The Farmers' Almanac 2024 forecasts a winter with traditional cool temperatures and snowy weather conditions for the United States.

According to the Almanac, it'll be time to "cuddle up with some hot apple cider!" Conditions for the Southeast, including Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, are expected to be fair but cold. "Cold" being relative for the Sunshine State, of course.

The Almanac has predicted a return to cooler weather in its 2023-2024 winter forecast, with a greater chance of rain for the southeast.

"The Southeast and Florida will see a wetter-than-normal winter, with average winter temperatures overall, but a few frosts may send many shivers to snowbirds trying to avoid the cold and snow back home," the Farmers' Almanac predicted.

The Old Farmers' Almanac, a competitor, predicts warm weather and scattered showers for Nov. 23-30.

The Farmers' Almanac predicts normal temps and a wet winter for Florida. How accurate is it?

What does AccuWeather predict for Thanksgiving weather?

For the holiday weekend, AccuWeather is predicting temperatures in the high 60s for North Florida and the Panhandle, the low 70s for Central Florida, the mid-to-high 70s for Southwest Florida and the high 70s to low 80s for South Florida.

North and Central Florida may see rain and a chance for thunderstorms on the 23rd and 24th, according to AccuWeather's monthly predictions.

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What does the National Weather Service predict for Thanksgiving weather?

The National Weather Service outlook for Nov. 11-24, 2023.
The National Weather Service outlook for Nov. 11-24, 2023.

The National Weather Service doesn't predict much farther than 10 days.

"A seven-day forecast can accurately predict the weather about 80 percent of the time and a five-day forecast can accurately predict the weather approximately 90 percent of the time," NOAA said on the agency's education site Scijinks.gov. "However, a 10-day-or-longer forecast is only right about half the time."

The NWS Climate Prediction Center provides a general outlook, and calls for average November temperatures in Florida — and most of the U.S. — from Nov. 11 through Nov. 24, with higher temps likely in the southwest and northern Alaska. But precipitation is expected to be above average for Florida, especially Central to South Florida, in that time period.

National Weather Service precipitation outlook for Nov. 11-24, 2023.
National Weather Service precipitation outlook for Nov. 11-24, 2023.

What did the Farmers' Almanac predict for Thanksgiving weather around the country?

If you'll be traveling for the holidays, here's what you can expect to run into, according to the Farmers' Alamanac:

  • Northeast & New England: New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C. should see "mostly fair but cold weather."

  • Great Lakes, Ohio Valley & Midwest: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and Wisconsin may see rain and possibly snow beforehand but see a "mostly fair but cold Thanksgiving."

  • North Central: Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana may get hit with light snow in the Rockies before the holiday, followed by a heavy snowfall in the Nebraska and Dakotas area.

  • South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico should see a "clear and cold" holiday, with some stormy weather from the west.

  • Northwest: Washington, Oregon, and Idaho may see "rain and wet snow."

  • Southwest: California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona may be getting a "rainy Thanksgiving," the Almanac said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Thanksgiving 2023: Farmers Almanac, NWS predict fair Florida weather