Updated Nov. 24, 2019 3:11 PM
Snow, rain and gusty winds will usher into the West Coast on the busiest travel day of the year, with travel woes likely to continue into Thanksgiving Day.
An early week storm will set the stage across much of the West, allowing for a winterlike chill to be entrenched across the Northwest and into much of California and Nevada.
The more potent storm arrives late Tuesday and Tuesday night in southern Oregon and Northern California, before diving southward into Arizona and Utah through Thursday.
The wet weather, combined with gusty winds across the state will cause travel concerns for much of the region on Wednesday and Thursday.
"This storm threatens to bring rain and mountain snow to much of California, including places like San Francisco and Sacramento, places that were largely spared by the past week's rain," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Thompson.
While burn scar areas may experience flooding and mudslides, travel woes are anticipated with the rounds of heavy rain expected for the L.A. Basin.
Slick roadways will be a concern for motorists in places like Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego from Tuesday night through Thursday night.
More than 55 million travelers are expected between the weekends before and after Thanksgiving, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
San Francisco's worst travel time is expected between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon on Wednesday, by which time the city's heaviest rain is expected to be over. However, for Los Angeles, the estimated timeframe for the most travelers is 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, when periods of rain are expected to continue.
In addition to the impact rain will have on the region , the cold coming in with this storm will allow for high snowfall accumulations that can contribute to the travel disruptions.
With a drastic fall of snow levels, down to around 4,000 feet, feet of snow will pile up in the Sierra Nevada of California. Snow will even reach as far south as the Peninsular Mountains in Southern California.
Along Interstate 5, just north of the California/Oregon border, over Siskiyou Summit, slippery conditions are expected for travelers Wednesday and Wednesday night.
Donner Pass, along Interstate 80, is expected to have accumulating snow, leading to travel delays. A foot or more of snow is possible in this pass.
Outside of California, snow will spread across Oregon into Nevada, Idaho and Utah. Snowfall accumulations will be very elevation dependent in these areas, although some of the highest snowfall totals could be in southwestern and northern Utah.
Snow will also stretch into Arizona, starting in northwestern parts of the state late Wednesday night, then spreading across the northern two-thirds of the state into Friday.
Just over 6.5 inches of snow fell in Flagstaff with the last storm that moved through the region, with another dose of snow likely for the middle and end of the week. The higher terrain around the region could have a fresh foot of snow before the end of the month.
Snow showers across Arizona, Utah and western Colorado may linger as late as Friday morning, continuing to add to any snowfall totals.
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Parts of New Mexico will also get in on the wintry weather.
A stream of moisture from Mexico will arrive in New Mexico and western Texas on Wednesday, bringing a swath of snow and heavy rain.
Several inches of snow are possible across New Mexico, and even parts of the northern Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma Panhandle Wednesday and Wednesday before the storm moves into the central Plains.
The last time Amarillo, Texas observed one inch or more of snow on Thanksgiving was in 1958 when exactly one inch fell. If enough cold air filters in Wednesday night into Thursday morning, there is a chance it could happen again.
The storm is expected to move eastward during the final days of November and cause more travel disruptions for those in the Plains and East heading home following the Thanksgiving holiday.
Behind both of these storms, a winterlike chill will settle into places west of the Rockies. Those out and about on Black Friday and through the weekend will need to bundle up to protect themselves from the cold.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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