Mother Nature is cooking up a storm that's sure to snarl Thanksgiving travel

While the weather to start the week has been quite nice, things are quickly taking a turn. A new storm system developing across the Central Plains will bring wet and rough weather through much of the eastern U.S. ahead of Thanksgiving Day.

Late season severe storms are possible across the Central and Southern Plains on Monday night. Portions of the Interstate 10 corridor throughout Louisiana and Mississippi are watching for the potentially strong to severe storms Monday evening. Thunderstorms are also likely northbound across Interstate 55 in Mississippi and south of the Tennessee River Valley. Tuesday, the system moves east through Interstate 95, from D.C., through the Carolinas and into northern Florida, and thunderstorms will ignite along the front.

In New England, while we aren’t forecasting large thunderstorms, heavy rain is likely for most, and a few elevated locations will get their first snow of the season.

Here at home

Across New England, we anticipate impacts to travel as early as Tuesday night. Light-to-moderate rain will spread across the region before midnight.

Along a warm front, rain showers will occur in pockets across the Mass Pike and along Route 2. To the west, and in elevations above 1,000 feet, snow mixed with sleet can be expected across the Worcester Hills and through the Monadnocks between Jaffrey and Keene anywhere between 10 p.m. Tuesday and early Wednesday around 3 a.m.

Most snow totals will be minimal (1-3 inches) given the heavier rain and warm air that shortly follows. Wednesday morning temperatures will warm into the upper 30s to low 40s as downpours of heavy rain break out. Heavy rain between 1-2 inches is likely to mount between Haverhill, Worcester, Leominster and Manchester, New Hampshire.

Early guidance shows the showers wrapping up Wednesday evening around 7, with a mostly dry start to Thanksgiving Day.

Airport delays likely

Air travel will be impacted by the pre-holiday storm. We’re anticipating delays at most major airport hubs such as Newark, Boston, LaGuardia, Nashville, Jacksonville, Atlanta and Regan-National. It’s important to remember that even if the weather is fair at your destination, the plane and crew operating your flight could be coming from a location experiencing bad weather. So that will also play a role.

Not only wet, but windy

Even as the showers clear, winds are still gusty and breezy. This also makes it difficult for planes to take off and land on runways. A crosswind is a wind that blows across a runway, making landings and take-offs difficult, as opposed to blowing down the runway (or not at all). This will likely cause issues on the roads too for larger automobiles and big rigs that are on roads.

In New England, the windiest time looks to be Wednesday midday:

• Cape & Islands: 50-60 mph
• South Coast: 40 mph
• Downtown Boston: 25-40 mph
• Central Massachusetts: 25-30 mph

This is all an onshore wind, so coastal communities and southward facing beaches will need to monitor a slight water level rise. The saving grace is that we’re approaching but not at a full moon until next Monday.

As the storm departs, in its wake, a northwest wind will take hold. This will blow in drier air for Thanksgiving Day and sunny skies throughout the afternoon and evening. We’ll swap the gusty conditions for an occasional breeze on Thanksgiving Day, with peak gusts near 20 miles an hour regionwide. High temperatures are in the upper 40s for parades, festivals and outdoor activities.

Make NBC10 Boston and the First Alert Weather team your holiday headquarters. Our team is monitoring delays and forecast changes to make travel as smooth as possible for you and your loved ones this week.