As millions of Americans travel for Thanksgiving, some of them could be affected by Thursday’s storm that is poised to hit the Northeast.

During the Thanksgiving travel period between Tuesday, November 26 and Monday, December 2, AAA expects 79.9 million travelers to travel 50 miles or more during that time.

But a storm emerging from California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains on Tuesday is expected to move toward the Rocky Mountains, eventually bringing stormy conditions to eastern Maine by Thursday, AccuWeather reported.

“There are a lot of variables we are still analyzing with this storm, with track and intensity being key to where the rain and snow line will be and the amount of snow that will fall in the Midwest and Northeast,” AccuWeather says Chief On-Air Meteorologist. Bernie Rayno said in the report.

After dumping “several” feet of snow and likely resulting in road closures along Interstate 80 and California’s Donner Pass, the storm should move east toward the Rockies and High Plains on Wednesday, according to AccuWeather. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and later the Atlantic Ocean should fuel the storm as it reaches the East Coast.

“How much the storm strengthens in the east will determine not only how far north it will track, but also the estimated boundary between rain and snow and whether the snow will have difficulty accumulating or accumulate enough to create slippery travel ,” Rayno added.

If the storm strengthens, it could move north and deliver more snow to parts of the Midwest and eastern Great Lakes, while also bringing some moderate to heavy snow to northern New England, AccuWeather wrote.

According to the National Weather Service, Central New England could see 3 inches of snow at higher elevations. Other parts of the Northeast – Pennsylvania, New York – could see patchy snowfall, with snow also specific to higher elevations.

Precipitation is expected to fall in some parts of the East Coast around noon Thursday, according to the National Weather Service’s Philadelphia/Mount Holly office. Rain is expected to fall by then, with higher elevation areas such as the southern Poconos and Sussex County in New Jersey seeing some light snow or mixed snow.

“Some sleet may linger in the north and west through the early morning for Thanksgiving Day, but an eventual change to regular rain is expected as temperatures rise,” forecasters wrote. “In terms of accumulation in those areas, it generally looks like a muddy layer for up to an inch or two before the changeover takes place. Overall, a damp and dreary day is planned with rain, which may become heavy at times.”

Likewise, the National Weather Service office in Albany expects snow to fall at an elevation of 1,500 feet. Sleet could be dumped at lower elevations, but forecasters expect a 40 to 70% chance of 4 inches or more of snow at higher elevations, “with the highest numbers in the southern Greens and southern Adirondacks before precipitation largely ends late Thursday evening. .”

New York City, which will soon host the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, should see “heavy rain showers could reduce visibility and cause flooding on streets and highways,” and temperatures could drop to 48 degrees, according to AccuWeather. Forecasters expect less than an inch of rain, but the rain should fall over a 12-hour period.

It is also expected that in the higher elevations of southern New England, “snow will mix with rain, with the possibility of snow accumulation at elevations above 1,000 feet,” according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Boston.

Places at higher elevations, such as the Berkshires, have an 80 to 90% chance of seeing 1 inch of snow accumulating, with a 40 to 50% chance of 3 inches of snow accumulating, forecasters said. Snowfall at higher elevations could impact travel, The Weather Channel said Tuesday.

In Maine, National Weather Service forecasters expect stormy conditions to move south on Thanksgiving.

“Therefore, our confidence in measurable backcountry snow has increased,” forecasters from the Gray office wrote.

Southern and coastal areas should see a period of sleet before quickly changing to rain Thursday morning. Snowfall of 6 inches or more in the mountains is largely expected, with a 50 to 70% chance of this happening Thursday, forecasters said.