By Emily Mae Czachor
Updated on: November 25, 2025 / 7:56 PM EST / CBS News
A spate of winter weather is threatening travel around the Thanksgiving holiday, with rain, snow and powerful winds forecast to move through the middle of the country this week. Two systems were expected to bring soggy and wintry conditions on Tuesday: one pushing wet weather from the Ohio Valley into the Northeast, and another producing strong winds and heavy snowfall across a northern band of the Midwest from the Plains through the Great Lakes into Wednesday.
Winter storm warnings were in effect for parts of North Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. In Grand Forks, North Dakota, a winter storm warning was set to remain in place through Tuesday night, with up to 6 inches of snow possible and winds as high as 35 mph. In the Twin Cities, the National Weather Service warned snowfall rates were already exceeding 1 inch per hour, and gusts up to 45 mph could create blizzard conditions. The Twin Cities were expecting the latter portion of a two-part storm that began Monday evening, with total accumulations in some spots forecast at 5 to 8 inches by Wednesday morning.
Chicago saw mild conditions Tuesday morning before light rain and fog moved in ahead of a cold front expected Wednesday; temperatures were forecast to fall below freezing on Thanksgiving and remain low into Friday. Parts of upstate New York experienced powerful winds Tuesday, while downstate areas, including New York City, were preparing for rain later in the day that could complicate pre-holiday travel. Cold temperatures and blustery winds were expected to settle in on Thursday.
Impacts will be most severe closest to the Canadian border, where some locations could receive 20 to 30 inches of snow. High winds across the upper Midwest could reach 40 mph or higher, potentially interrupting travel along major interstates such as I-29, I-90 and I-94. Major airports that could be affected include Chicago’s airports, Duluth, Fargo, Minneapolis‑St. Paul and Pierre, South Dakota.
A number of metropolitan areas were expecting rain, including Atlanta, Birmingham, Boston, Cincinnati, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Rain could cause delays for drivers on I-20, I-40, I-65, I-75 and I-95, and for air travelers at affected airports, including Indianapolis and Memphis. Chicago-area airports were expecting heavy holiday crowds — about 3.6 million passengers this week, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Nikki Nolan, CBS News meteorologist, contributed to this report.
