Planning to fly or drive for Thanksgiving? Keep an eye on the potential for snow

Sarah Kocher, St. Cloud Times
·2 min read

A potential low-pressure system could affect Thanksgiving Day road and air travel for Minnesotans.

As of Friday's National Weather Service forecast for Thanksgiving week, there's a 20% chance of snow in the St. Cloud area starting Wednesday night.

NWS meteorologist Ryan Dunleavy said there is increasing potential for a low-pressure system coming into Minnesota. Low-pressure systems create the conditions for weather that makes travelers nervous (at this time of year, think snow and ice).

This system could potentially affect those driving and those flying out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Dunleavy said.

There are two likely tracks for the potential system. One possibility, according to Dunleavy, is that the system would move over the Duluth area. The other is that it passes over south of the Twin Cities metro.

Traffic moves through the intersection of Highways 10 and 23 Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, in St. Cloud.
Traffic moves through the intersection of Highways 10 and 23 Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, in St. Cloud.

"Where that defining line occurs is still too far out to tell," he said.

The takeaway? There's potential for travel to be impacted statewide.

"If you're definitely going north, I would really pay attention (to the forecast) this week," Dunleavy said.

But with Thanksgiving a few days away, there's also still potential for this prediction to change. Dunleavy recommends Minnesota travelers get their emergency car kits ready if they plan to travel, just to be safe.

The St. Cloud area's record snowfall on Thanksgiving fell in 1977, when the area received 1.7 inches of snow.

"It could be nothing, or we could maybe set the record this year," Dunleavy said. "It's really going to depend on that track."

Traffic moves along Minnesota Highway 15 as snow begins to fall Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, in St. Cloud.
Traffic moves along Minnesota Highway 15 as snow begins to fall Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, in St. Cloud.

Dunleavy also said NWS expected the low-pressure system should move through by late last week. Expected temperatures the first half of Thanksgiving week are below normal, but conditions should be dry, Dunleavy said.

Thanksgiving week weather forecast

As of Friday, here's the National Weather Service forecast through Thanksgiving Day for the St. Cloud area.

  • Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29 degrees. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph.

  • Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17 degrees. Calm wind.

  • Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29 degrees. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning.

  • Wednesday night: A 20% chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22 degrees. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming east northeast after midnight.

  • Thanksgiving Day (Thursday): Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29 degrees. North northeast wind 5-10 mph becoming west northwest in the morning.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: What St. Cloud travelers should know ahead of Thanksgiving