Thanksgiving Travel: Storm Warnings In Effect for Shoreline, Region

UPDATE at 6:22 p.m.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy issued a press release cautioning residents about the major coastal storm that will impact the state beginning late Tuesday and lasting into Wednesday.

ORIGINAL POST

So here comes another Thanksgiving. The busiest travel day of the year is Wednesday, and it’s time to pack up the car and go visit grandma, the crunch of brittle brown leaves underfoot.

This year, though, there's going to be a high degree of difficulty. 

Stormy Weather

Because in case you haven’t heard, the state is staring down both barrels of a major storm that will start Tuesday night and continue through all day Wednesday. 

And when meteorologists say major, they mean: rain, snow, wind — the works, depending on where you are.

Here in Branford, there are already a handful of warnings and advisories in effect for Tuesday night into Wednesday:

• Coastal Flood Advisory
• Wind Advisory
• Flood Watch

The NWS has issued hazardous-weather advisories for Wednesday, with expected wind gusts of up to 43 miles per hour for most of the state.

Travel Delays Expected

According to Airlines for America, an estimated 2.56 million passengers are expected to fly on Wednesday, the most since 2007, and 38.9 million people are expected to drive 50 miles or more. In the heavily populated East, the megastorm means delays — and lots of them.

According to accuweather.com, a storm system that has been pummeling the southeast will merge with one over the Great Lakes to make our Wednesday a cold, wet and generally miserable one, complete with travel delays (especially if you’re flying). 

“Chaos” is how they put it in the accuweather headline.

High Winds, Wintry Mix

In Connecticut, the fun gets started with some light-to-moderate precipitation Tuesday evening, followed by a 100% chance of rain and heavy winds later in the overnight hours, according to NBC-30. 

Some areas might see some snow mixed in with the rain.

On Wednesday, temperatures warm up into the 50s, but the entire day is expected to consist of near-armageddon-level rain and wind.

Some areas of the state might see total rain accumulations of up to 2 inches between Tuesday and Thursday, mixed in with some light snow at times, according to the National Weather Service. 

Thanksgiving Day

On Thanksgiving Day, clearing is expected by daybreak, but the temperatures plummet into the upper-20s and low-30s and it’s going to be blustery. 

Perfect for some backyard football, but not-so-perfect for that idyllic crunchy-leaves effect.

Check out the full detailed forecast for Branford from the National Weather Service.

Are you traveling on the day before Thanksgiving? Are you taking any extra precautions because of the oncoming storm? Tell us in the comments below.