National Weather Service: Nor’easter could snarl pre-Thanksgiving travel

A nor’easter could impact the New Jersey region during the travel period preceding Thanksgiving, forecasters said.

The timing couldn’t be worse for holiday travelers, as forecasters are most concerned about potential impacts in the Mid-Atlantic region between Tuesday night and daytime Wednesday.

“Travel conditions will deteriorate Tuesday night as strong onshore winds and rain move into the region. These conditions will persist into daytime Wednesday, improving later Wednesday night,” a briefing package issued Saturday by the National Weather Service’s field office in Mount Holly, NJ advises.

But the specifics impacts are not yet certain, with forecasters noting that more precise information will be available in the coming days.

For now, here are the potential impacts, as stated in the latest briefing package: 

Wind and rain

As with all nor’easters, strong northeasterly winds and periods of heavy rain can be expected. With recent dry conditions, the probability of large stream and main stem river flooding is low. However, roadway and poor drainage flooding is possible.
The storm has the potential to bring significant amounts of precipitation to the region, with over an inch of rain in the I-95 corridor and over two inches of rain near the Atlantic coast.

Coastal flooding

Coastal flooding is a threat with this storm. Minor coastal flooding is likely; moderate coastal flooding is possible. The high tides to watch are the ones on Wednesday.

Snow

Some snow is possible with this storm, especially in the higher elevations of eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey. With the storm still at least 3 days away, specific snowfall amounts are not yet available. More detail on potential snowfall will be provided in Sunday’s briefing package.

Whatever ultimately happens, Thanksgiving looks nice, but cold, with the National Weather Service forecasting a breezy, mostly sunny day with a high temperature of 39 degrees in Seaside Park.