NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Thanksgiving 2019 weather will feature rain and perhaps some travel disruptions, but no major snow, with forecasters focusing on a mild, wet Wednesday followed by cooler, easier conditions for the holiday. A cross-country storm system is expected to send showers through New Jersey along the busiest travel corridors on Wednesday, Nov. 26, ahead of Thanksgiving Day.
Detailed forecasts from the National Weather Service forecast for Newark and private outlets such as AccuWeather’s daily outlook for Newark indicate that the heaviest of the wet weather will arrive late Tuesday night into Wednesday, with Newark and other I-95 communities experiencing periods of steady rain and highs near 60 degrees, followed by a cooler, partly sunny Thanksgiving Day with highs around 50 and breezy northwest winds.
That larger weather pattern sets up a New Jersey Thanksgiving forecast of rain on the getaway day and some dry weather for the feast itself. A national forecast from The Washington Post shows a powerful storm bringing rain across the East Coast on Wednesday and clearing most of the region just in time for a colder, but mostly dry, Thanksgiving Day.
On a more local level, one early regional forecast surfaced in a South Jersey radio report that says a storm system tracking out of the central and southern U.S. could drag some rain into New Jersey on Wednesday, with some light rain possibly sticking around during the pre-dawn hours of Thanksgiving, which would lead to damp roads to start the holiday.
According to a climatologist, November in New Jersey sees daytime high temperatures in the mid-40s to low 50s, with several days of rain and only a couple of early-season chances for snowfall. Long-range averages compiled by one weather-statistics site again show several rainy days and scant chances of flakes, confirming our long-held suspicion that Thanksgiving week will be primarily a moist affair.
Yet, since those forecasts for the Newark area instead call for rain, with temperatures in the 50s (not single digits), meteorologists said it is very unlikely New Jersey will have accumulating snow over Thanksgiving. The primary dangers will instead be slippery roads, reduced visibility in the heaviest showers, and gusty winds that may push high-profile vehicles on bridges and overpasses.
Whether or not there is plowable snow, New Jersey Thanksgiving weather will collide with one of the busiest travel weeks in years. A breakdown of Thanksgiving travel from Morristown Minute, based on AAA: 81.8 million Americans expected to trek at least 50 miles from home, and more than 2 million New Jerseyans traveling by road or air during the holiday season.
Traffic analysts at AAA anticipate some of the heaviest congestion on stretches including the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, I-78, and I-287 from late morning into the evening on Tuesday and Wednesday, with delays in excess of 2.5 times typical travel periods on certain roads. They suggest hitting the road early in the day or leaving on Thursday, when highway congestion is generally lighter.
Newark Liberty, JFK, and LaGuardia airports in the New York-New Jersey area are also expecting throngs, with millions of passengers expected to pass through during the holidays. Local officials anticipate the busiest days at the airport on Wednesday, Sunday, and Monday, so dense clouds and rain in the middle of this week could worsen delays unless storms reach severe levels.
The Thanksgiving weather forecast in New Jersey is relatively mild compared to some previous years. In a 2014 report, NBC New York described the scene of a “ferocious” nor’easter that left up to one foot of wet snow in parts of New Jersey and beyond, canceling flights and snarling holiday travel throughout the Northeast corridor.
A New Jersey radio station went way back into its box of Thanksgiving snowstorms in trying to recall something, anything worse than that 2014 affair plus a number of recent late November appearances that have put winter storm watches up in many North Jersey counties, including before and after the holiday (far from it being unknown hereabouts as, obviously, with all these existential threats to Louisiana).
Most Thanksgiving days in New Jersey are chilly but snow-free, state climatology records indicate. Citing long-term analysis from New Brunswick, a 2022 New Jersey 101.5 report explained that (emphasis ours) “a truly white turkey day is rare,” which helps to explain why this year’s rain-focused forecast reflects the longer-term pattern.
All in all, the New Jersey Thanksgiving weather scene looks like wet roads more than snow-covered ones, with a rainy but rather mild Wednesday segueing into a cooler and calmer holiday. Travelers are still advised to continue checking updated forecasts from the National Weather Service and local media, as relatively minor timing shifts in the storm may alter when the heaviest rain falls during key travel periods.
