Thanksgiving Travel Weather: Rain, Snow, Winter Storm Cato Frustrated Fliers and Drivers

Millions of Americans have packed their bags and are hitting the road or heading to the airport for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Winter Storm Cato, a clipper system and a western storm have thrown a wrench into travel plans for some of them.

AAA says this is expected to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period since 2007. Some 41 million Americans are expected to travel by car for the holiday, and another 3.5 million will fly to their holiday destination.

Let's step through the forecast.

Thanksgiving Day

Worst highways: Interstate 5 in Washington and Oregon (rain); Interstate 94 in North Dakota (light snow and ice); Interstate 79 in West Virginia and western Pennsylvania (snow showers)

Winter Storm Cato will be almost completely out of the U.S. by morning, taking the snowfall with it. Cold air blasting south in the wake of the storm will likely trigger more lake-effect snows in the Great Lakes.

The clipper-type system will also continue to track east, bringing snow showers to parts of the central Appalachians.

Areas of rain and snow will continue in the Pacific Northwest, and a bit of snow and ice may accumulate in the northern Plains, but otherwise dry conditions are expected for most of the country. It will also be chilly for the East, while most of the West will see temperatures near to above average.

For more details, check your local forecast on weather.com or The Weather Channel app on your smartphone.

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