Some worries for Thanksgiving travel

After several years of peaceful weather in the Southeast for Thanksgiving holiday travelers, some forecasters say the bottom could fall out this time.

There are increasing signs that stormy conditions could dominate a sizeable chunk of the eastern United States, although the details are still hazy. With cold weather also in play, it's possible, forecasters say, for snow or other frozen precipitation to hamper travel -- especially north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

"There are a lot of possibilities next week with the storm in the East, but whether or not there is snow north and west of the I-95 corridor is still uncertain at this time," said Bernie Raynor, senior meteorologist at Pennsylvania-based Accu-Weather.

Both of the main long-range computer models are pointing toward stormy weather, but as usual, there are differences in the timing. And there are questions as to how much cold weather will be in place.

Thanksgiving is the biggest travel holiday of the year, and any type of inclement weather next Wednesday could wreak havoc with flight schedules at the major Eastern airports.

The computer models indicate a dip in the jet stream will build this weekend, as another cold high pressure system pushes southward from Alaska and Canada. That system is expected to bring cold weather and snow into the Midwest, with the chilly air extending southward into the Carolinas. Temperatures on Sunday in the Charlotte area could be quite cold, perhaps rivaling the readings of last week.

Then the computer models predict low pressure will form in the Gulf of Mexico and move up the Eastern Seaboard.

Right now, the indication is that wet weather is most likely Thanksgiving Day and on Black Friday. But forecasts this far in advance are full of uncertainty, meteorologists say.

"The details on the track and speed of that storm during the middle of next week ... will unfold  later this week and into the weekend," Accu-Weather's Alex Sosnowski wrote in a briefing Tuesday.