Traveling for Thanksgiving? Here’s when you’ll need to look out for snow in Washington
The Puget Sound region will enjoy a sunny Thanksgiving Day with high temperatures in the low-50s, but anyone planning on traveling in or out of the area should plan ahead of time.
Winter weather has already blanketed the Cascade Mountains, while a barrage of rain swept over areas closer to the Pacific coast in the early parts of the week. Washingtonians will get a break from the wet weather on Wednesday and Thursday, but it’ll quickly return over the weekend as people prepare to travel back home.
“There’s going to be precipitation possible as we go towards the weekend,” Dev McMillian, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, told McClatchy News on Tuesday.
“It looks like snow levels are going to start off pretty high,” McMillian continued. “Once this system comes through, it looks like it’s going to be a warm front and push those snow levels above past levels.”
A couple of weather systems have already dumped up to a foot of snow in the Cascades, McMillian said. The storms that will arrive on Friday will start accumulating snow above 5,000 feet, but by the end of the day, that level will drop to between 3,500 and 4,000 feet.
More inland, areas of Washington have already been dealing with snow and freezing rain ahead of Thanksgiving.
You can check live road conditions on Washington state’s Department of Transportation’s website.
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Winter travel tips for Thanksgiving in WA
If you’re driving in or out of northwest Washington this week, the Weather Service tweeted a list of tips to prepare you and your car for inclement weather.
Check that your tires, battery, wiper blades, brakes, heater, fluids and lights are functioning correctly and not in need of repair.
Have a full tank of gas and chains.
Bring an emergency supply kit. This includes a first aid kit, food, water, a flashlight, a phone charger, blankets, warm clothes and jumper cables.
Visit weather.gov/Seattle before you travel, and watch WSDOT’s real-time road conditions map.
This story was originally published November 23, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Traveling for Thanksgiving? Here’s when you’ll need to look out for snow in Washington."
