CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Don’t forget to pack the coats and hats when you head out for Thanksgiving because forecasts show chilly temperatures rolling into West Virginia in the coming days.
After something of a warm spell recently, morning temperatures on Thursday may bring a bit of shock according to National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Curtis.
“On Thanksgiving morning, a lot of people will be waking to temperatures in the 20s so, again, be prepared as you’re headed out to see family. Dress warmly,” he said.
The umbrellas can stay put away for the most part though. West Virginians should not expect to deal with much precipitation during their celebrations.
“Thanksgiving looks quiet for the most part — mostly dry and temperatures will be pretty cold into the 30s and the 40s,” Curtis said.
Despite the dry conditions, the weather service projects the possibility of high winds in parts of the state beginning Wednesday. Appalachian Power wants its customers to be aware of potential hazards, including power outages.
“We know Thanksgiving is a time when families come together, and the last thing anyone wants to worry about is losing power,” said Jason Baker, vice president of distribution operations. “While we hope everyone enjoys an uninterrupted day, we’re closely monitoring the high winds and have crews on standby, ready to respond if outages occur. We’re committed to restoring service as safely and quickly as possible so our customers can focus on what matters most.”
Wind could affect travel conditions but otherwise, forecasts look promising with scattered showers making their way out of the state on Wednesday. The forecasts don’t show much to be concerned about if you’re hitting the road.
“People are headed out and traveling. We do have some light shower activity moving across the state, really nothing too bad though,”
Things are shaping up for one of the busiest travel weekends of the year to be a safe one. After Thanksgiving, the biggest obstacle could be a new weather system rolling in on Sunday.
“Saturday is looking good. It’s looking dry for now. Sunday there’s another system that will be moving in and that’s probably going to bring widespread rain, even potentially a little bit of snow in the higher elevations,” Curtis said.