New Projections Predicting Thanksgiving Winter Storms for Illinois

Typically, Christmas is when we start wondering about the weather, making travel an issue.

If you believe the National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Prediction Center, we might have to move that from Christmas to Thanksgiving this year.

I know it's a mouthful, but they might be on to something here.

A Wet Forecast for Thanksgiving Travel

Just yesterday, they posted an 8-14-day precipitation outlook on X and boy, America looks like it's in for a wet few weeks.

That's because Illinois has a better-than-average chance of precipitation than the rest of the country.

Check out all the green in this pic:

Texas Stays Dry, but Illinois Isn’t So Lucky

Only Texas, where the weather rarely changes, appears to have zero impact over the next few days.

While Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan are coated in dark green in the "Above" section of the map, that doesn't mean Illinois can't quickly get covered, as it appears Chicago and the eastern part of the state are on the storm's outskirts.

Below-Normal Temperatures Could Bring Snow

That's not all. The NWS says that along with the rain or snow, potentially turning Turkey Day into White Thanksgiving, it will also bring "below-normal temperatures."

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We'll see, as the Thanksgiving holiday is still over a week away, but it's worth monitoring, as holiday travel could turn treacherous if wild winter weather makes an early appearance.