Experts Share Thanksgiving Travel Weather Forecast: What To Know In FL

Thanksgiving travelers across the eastern half of the U.S. should expect disruptive storms that will include rain, snow and strong winds, affecting millions of people hitting the road for the holiday or flying to their destinations, AccuWeather forecasters said.

The dire weather forecast comes as AAA anticipates record-breaking Thanksgiving holiday travel across the U.S. with about 82 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles this week. The storms will take place during peak travel hours, causing the possibility of delays from coast to coast, AccuWeather said.

Florida is a different story, as travel weather is expected to be good for much of the peninsula on Wednesday, with some areas possibly experiencing fair weather across northwestern portions of the state into Jacksonville and a small area of south Florida, an AccuWeather map shows.

On Thanksgiving Day, travelers will find good weather for hitting the road or flying in across northern areas of the Sunshine State into the Tampa Bay area, while parts of east central and south Florida will experience fair weather, a map shows.

“Some disruptions due to spotty thunderstorms are possible” in these areas on Thursday, AccuWeather said.

A cold front is also expected to usher in “a big cool down” late Thursday through Saturday morning, the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay wrote in a post to X.

Temperatures in the Tampa Bay area could get as low as 37 degrees Friday and Saturday morning while further north in the state could see even colder weather with freezing or near-freezing wind chills in some areas.

Still, the forecast bodes well for the record number of travelers expected in Florida for Thanksgiving.

AAA is projecting 4.65 million Floridians will travel over the extended Thanksgiving weekend, representing a 2.6 percent jump from last year, setting a new record for the Sunshine State.

A majority — 4.25 million Florida residents — will travel by car. Another 299,000 Floridians could take flights and nearly 88,000 will use other means like buses, trains and cruises. The Thanksgiving travel period is defined as Tuesday, Nov. 25 to Monday, Dec. 1.

“Floridians are embracing the Thanksgiving spirit with record-breaking travel plans this year,” Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said. “Whether it’s driving across the state or flying across the country, people are making time to connect with loved ones. Even with concerns about flight cancellations, travelers are showing flexibility and resilience and relying most on driving.”

Transportation analyst INRIX expects the most traffic congestion to happen on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons as travelers head to their Thanksgiving destinations. Travelers returning home will encounter heavy traffic most of Sunday.

Experts recommend traveling in the morning to avoid the worst congestion, but crashes, severe weather and construction could still come into play in Florida.

Here are INRIX general predictions for the best and worst travel times:

• Tuesday, Nov 25: Worst from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., best before 12 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 26: Worst from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., best before 11 a.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 27: Minimal traffic impacts expected
• Friday, Nov. 28: Worst from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., best before 11 a.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 29: Worst from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., best before 10 a.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 30: Worst from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., best before 11 a.m.
• Monday, Dec. 1: Worst from noon to 8 p.m., best after 8 p.m.

In Florida, the busiest travel route is expected along Interstate 4 East from Tampa to Orlando. The peak congestion for this route is anticipated to be on Friday around 2:45 p.m. and could take about 2 hours and 52 minutes — an 85 percent increase over the normal travel time.
Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Tampa are among the top domestic Thanksgiving destinations this year, according to AAA.

Check out the five-day forecast from the NWS for several Florida metro areas:

Tampa Bay

• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. West southwest wind around 6 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph after midnight.
• Thanksgiving Day: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. North wind 6 to 10 mph.
• Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. North wind 8 to 10 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 65. North northeast wind around 10 mph.
• Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. North northeast wind around 9 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 77. East wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. East wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. East southeast wind 6 to 8 mph.
• Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Orlando

• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. West southwest wind around 5 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. North northwest wind around 5 mph.
• Thanksgiving Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind around 10 mph.
• Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 63. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. North wind around 10 mph.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southeast wind around 5 mph.

Miami

• Wednesday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1pm and 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 2am and 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Light and variable wind.
• Thanksgiving Day: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming north around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
• Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. North wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Breezy, with a north wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Northeast wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
• Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
• Saturday Night: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. East wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
• Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
• Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.

Tallahassee

• Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 38. North northwest wind around 5 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 58. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50.
• Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.

Jacksonville

• Wednesday: A slight chance of showers before 3 p.m., then a slight chance of showers after 5 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. West wind around 11 mph, with gusts as high as 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Wednesday Night: A 10 percent chance of showers before 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Thanksgiving Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 16 mph.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 16 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 58. North wind around 11 mph, with gusts as high as 17 mph.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 67. Breezy.
• Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
• Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.