Thanksgiving, Black Friday travel weather: Gusty winds in forecast. What to know

Travelers returning from Thanksgiving holidays and motorists driving to Black Friday deals could face gusty north and east winds on Interstate 5 and North State highways through Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

"Winds have trended stronger" than meteorologists expected, the weather service reported Wednesday morning.

Starting Thursday, winds pick up over the North State. By Friday morning, wind gusts up to 40 mph will blow off and on over Shasta County. Strongest winds could blow in the Redding and Shasta Lake areas, and at mountain passes.

Those winds may make it difficult for motorists to drive tall vehicles, like pickup trucks and SUVs, according to the weather service. Also, "unsecured objects may be blown around by these winds," so people may want to wait before putting up the Christmas decorations.

Nighttime temperatures in Redding will drop close to freezing, so Black Friday shoppers arriving at stores early in the morning may want to bundle up.

Original story

Highway road conditions in Shasta and Siskiyou counties through Thanksgiving Day

Holiday travelers hitting North State highways during Thanksgiving week will mostly have the weather on their side, with some small caveats, according to the National Weather Service.

Starting Sunday, winter storms that dropped light rain on the North State through Saturday, Nov. 18 will be gone and skies will be clear for the first half of the week along most of the Interstate 5 Corridor in Siskiyou and Shasta counties, and on Highway 299, meteorologists said.

Temperatures in the northern Sacramento Valley — from Redding to Burney and Dunsmuir to Yreka — will be slightly warmer than historic norms for Thanksgiving week, according to the weather service.

Here’s what meteorologists expect of the weather from Sunday Nov. 19 to Friday, Nov. 24.

Dry or snow and rain along the Interstate 5 corridor?

Motorists on I-5 in Shasta County will find the highway clear and dry from Cottonwood to the Siskiyou County border, according to meteorologist Sara Purdue at the National Weather Service’s Sacramento branch.

In Siskiyou County, mountain passes along the I-5 Corridor will get a little bit of snow on Sunday, but it should melt during the week, said Sven Nelaimischkies, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Medford branch.

For a brief period on Monday and Tuesday, I-5 should be clear and mostly dry from the Shasta County border to the Oregon border, he said.

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Weather over the I-5 corridor turns wet again on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day, but “road temperatures should still be pretty warm,” so any snow should melt quickly, Nelaimischkies said.

Motorists traveling Wednesday night and early Thursday morning should watch for slick roads, especially around Black Butte Summit and south of Mt. Shasta, where a mixture of rain and snow could fall, he said.

Weather can change quickly, especially in the mountains, so check for Siskiyou County weather updates before you go at weather.gov/mfr, Nelaimischkies said.

Expect this along Highway 299

With one exception, Highway 299 should be pretty dry and clear Thanksgiving week ― from the border with Trinity County to the east end of the valley, Purdue said.

However, there’s a slight chance of rain or snow on Wednesday in eastern Shasta County around Burney, she said.

Motorists should watch for slick winter road conditions, especially if traveling Wednesday night and on Thursday morning, she said.

Thanksgiving week temperatures in Shasta County

Holiday merry-makers can grab a jacket or light coat and play outside under sunny autumn skies for most of the week.

Expect very little wind to blow, and that will happen mostly in the mountains, Purdue said.

In Redding, afternoon temperatures will reach the mid-60s on Sunday, the mid- to high 60s Monday through Wednesday and the low 60s on Thursday and Friday, Purdue said.

Nighttime temperatures are expected to drop into the high 30s to low 40s Sunday through Friday, she said.

In Eastern Shasta County at Burney, “there’s a slight chance of showers" ― rain or snow ― on Wednesday night, Purdue said. Otherwise, skies should be sunny, with no rain or snow, and moderate mountain breezes blowing.

Daytime temperatures in Burney will reach the high 40s on Sunday, go into the high 50s and low 60s Monday through Wednesday before cooling into the high 40s to low 50s Thursday and Friday, she said.

Nighttime temperatures will stay below freezing, hovering in the 20s all week, Purdue said.

Thanksgiving week temperatures in Siskiyou County

Up to one-tenth of an inch of rain or snow could fall from Wednesday into Thursday morning along the corridor from Dunsmuir to Yreka, Nelaimischkies said.

Snow levels will remain high, above mountain passes for most of the week; but rain may mix with snow at lower elevations early Thursday morning, he said.

In Yreka and Mount Shasta, daytime temperatures will reach the mid-40s on Sunday, upper 50s on Monday, upper 50s to low 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday, and upper 40s to low 50s on Thursday and Friday, Nelaimischkies said.

Nighttime temperatures should fall into the mid-to upper 20s on Monday, hover around freezing in the low- to mid-30s on Tuesday and Wednesday, and stay in the mid-30s on Thursday before dropping into the low 30s on Friday, he said.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Thanksgiving, Black Friday travel weather conditions: I-5, Highway 299