Map Shows Southern States Bracing for Thanksgiving Day Storms

Portions of the Southeastern U.S. are bracing for a line of storms expected to track across the region on Thanksgiving Day.

Parts of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have a marginal risk for strong to severe storms on Thursday, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by the National Weather Service (NWS) Southern Region.

“Isolated to scattered strong to severe storms are expected today into Thanksgiving! Make sure to have multiple ways to receive warnings. Maybe bring along a NOAA weather radio along with that pie for Thanksgiving to keep everyone informed,” the post reads.

Newsweek reached out to the NWS via email Wednesday afternoon for additional comment.

The storms are expected to bring cooler air behind them, and temperatures are anticipated to be near freezing as far south as northwest Florida.

The polar cold front is projected to bring double-digit temperature drops to the Sunshine State, with the possibility of a “hard freeze,” according to the NWS Climate Prediction Center.

“Please protect susceptible vegetation, and if you are traveling south, bring your jackets,” the NWS Climate Prediction Center tweeted on Monday about the freeze potential.

Some portions of Florida, including the central region, may experience a 40-degree temperature drop as the cold front settles into the region. The state also saw low temperatures last week as far south as Lake Okeechobee.

Meanwhile, numerous states in the West are also bracing for winter weather, including snow. Colorado could see up to 36 inches of snow, and several roads in the state were closed on Wednesday because of the winter weather.

New York state is expecting lake effect snow this weekend in some areas. The NWS Buffalo station tweeted on Wednesday that “it’s been a quiet start to the snow season for our region, and our first lake effect snow event will be lengthy with accumulating snow continuing through the weekend and into early next week.”

Buffalo and the surrounding area will experience highs in the low 40s and upper 30s Wednesday until Friday, according to the NWS. The area could also have light rain or snow on Thanksgiving, with a few inches possible “on hilltops.”

The first lake effect snow event of the season started was November 17, NWS Buffalo said in a follow-up X post, adding, “This upcoming event will be 12 days later than average.”