Will it rain on Thanksgiving in Florida? How cold will it get in the Sunshine State?

C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
Updated ·5 min read

The eastern U.S. can finally start to dry off as a low-pressure complex that has been dumping water across a third of the country is moving off the coast, and conditions should rapidly improve Wednesday. But Florida may get wet Thursday night, while we're pondering that last slice of pie.

"By Thanksgiving morning, the low pressure system will largely move off the East Coast, bringing clearing skies just in time for Thanksgiving festivities," National Weather Service forecasters Kwan-Yin Kong and Robert Oravec said.

AccuWeather forecasters pointed out a secondary storm that "will cause downpours and wet travel to linger in the zone from northern Florida to the Carolinas and southeastern Virginia into the afternoon." Areas in the Panhandle including Saint Marks and Newport were briefly under tornado warnings early Wednesday morning.

The Carolinas and the New England area will continue to see rain into the afternoon, the NWS said, and up to 8 inches of snow is forecast for parts of northern Maine. The rest of the Northeast will see blustery conditions as the storm deepens. In the rest of the country, a frontal system combined wth a surge of arctic air from Canada is expected to bring snow from Idaho to western Montana, and then southeast into Wyoming and the Great Basin on Thanksgiving.

So far there have been 10,336 flight delays across the country as of 9:45 Wednesday morning, FlightAware's live statistics said, with 523 total cancellations. In a recent ranking, three of the five worst airports to fly out of for the holiday are in Florida.

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National auto club AAA predicts that more than 3 million Floridians will travel 50 miles or more during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, out of more than 55.3 million Americans nationwide. That's the third-highest nationwide travel numbers over Thanksgiving since 2000 and nearly 1.3 million more than last year.

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Will it rain on Thanksgiving in Florida?

6-10 day precipitation forecast for Nov. 22-26, 2023.
6-10 day precipitation forecast for Nov. 22-26, 2023.

Thanksgiving Day is expected to be dry and sunny with some cloud cover across the entire state, but expect to get wet that evening while you're digesting your holiday.

In the Panhandle, as of Wednesday, it's expected to be cloudy but dry until Thursday night when there's a 30% chance of showers, according to the NWS.

In North Florida, Tallahassee might see some rain Wednesday (30% chance) but Turkey Day will be partly sunny, with a 20% chance of rain Thursday night into Friday. Jacksonville is getting a piece of the storm Wednesday with a 70% chance of showers, but it should clear up in Duval by Wednesday night and just stay cloudy until more rain comes Friday (40% chance).

Central Florida may see some rain today but otherwise can expect cloudy skies until rain comes again Friday (30-40% chance), forecasters said.

Southwest Florida has a 20% chance of some showers Wednesday into the evening but should have a mostly sunny Thanksgiving, the NWS said.

The forecast for South Florida has dried up a bit and now calls for a partly sunny Thanksgiving with a chance of rain Wednesday night (20-30%) and showers Friday (30%).

Parts of the Florida Keys may see rain from Wednesday evening through Friday night, however.

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Will it be hot or cold on Thanksgiving in Florida?

6-10 day temperature outlook for Nov. 22-26, 2023.
6-10 day temperature outlook for Nov. 22-26, 2023.

Not quite wintry weather yet, but the cold front accompanying the low-pressure area sweeping across the country will bring temperatures in the Panhandle down to the mid-40s overnight Wednesday night and into the low 60s on Thanksgiving as of the Wednesday forecasts from the NWS.

North Florida can expect temps in the low-to-mid 60s Thursday and Friday, with overnight lows in the 40s.

Central Florida will be running a bit warmer, with temperatures in the high 80s Wednesday dropping to an overnight low in the low 50s and a Thanksgiving in the high 60s, the NWS said.

The cold front still might affect Southwest Florida, but only enough to bring the Thursday temps down to just 76 degrees or so with overnight lows before and after in the low 60s.

Southeast Florida will dip down into the low 70s for Thanksgiving, with overnight lows in the low 60s.

And South Florida should see a low-80s Thanksgiving, with overnights in the low 70s.

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What does the Farmers' Almanac predict for Thanksgiving weather in Florida?

The Farmers' Almanac forecasts plenty of snow and rain across most of the U.S. this upcoming winter.
The Farmers' Almanac forecasts plenty of snow and rain across most of the U.S. this upcoming winter.

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.

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' Almanac:

  • 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.

USA TODAY reporter Doyle Rice contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Thanksgiving weather in Florida: Few chances of rain, but cooler temps