It's Going to Be a Wet and Wintry Holiday Week

The Thanksgiving holiday week looks to be back in full force, with a record number of travelers expected both on the road and in the air—despite a weather forecast set to bring travel snarls across a good part of the United States. The AP reports that the Transportation Security Administration anticipates about 2.6 million fliers on Tuesday, followed by 2.7 million on Wednesday, with about 2.9 million of those making the return trip home on Sunday. Meanwhile, the American Automobile Association says that more than 55 million people will venture at least 50 miles from home between Wednesday and Sunday, with Wednesday set to be the worst from a traffic standpoint.

Throwing a possible wrench into many of these travel itineraries: a storm system that's set to move from the southern Plains into the Northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday. CNN notes that the "headache-inducing weather could not come at a worse time," bringing rain, snow, and thunderstorms, the latter posing the most threat on Tuesday in the Southeast, specifically the Florida Panhandle and the southern part of Alabama. Tornadoes in this region are also possible. Heavy rain is set to move up through the Southeast and mid-Atlantic states, with rain and winds posing possible upheaval for fliers in DC, Philly, New York, and Boston.

More wintry weather (think rain, sleet, and snow) is headed for the Northeast on Tuesday into Wednesday, starting in Pennsylvania and southern New York and making its way up into Vermont and New Hampshire. The snow will then arrive in Maine on Wednesday, and roads are expected to stay slick throughout the Northeast. As for Thanksgiving Day and the annual Macy's parade, New York City is predicted to see dry weather on Thursday, though it may be quite breezy. It's not clear yet what the weather is looking like for the weekend, when many will be making their return trips home. The Weather Channel features a map of all the expected trouble spots. (More Thanksgiving travel stories.)