PHILADELPHIA – There’s no place like home for the holidays, but forecasters say your journey is over the river and through the forest this Thanksgiving could be affected by an approaching winter storm.

The center of the storm could slam parts of New York state through Virginia with accumulating snow, high winds and winter-like temperatures, but Philadelphia is off the map. Forecasters believe the storm could send some much-needed rain our way Wednesday night through Friday, with daytime temperatures in the 50s and 60s.

AAA predicts that 80 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving, with more than 70 million expected to travel by car. That number, AAA says, “exceeds pre-pandemic numbers when 70.6 million people drove to their Thanksgiving destinations in 2019.”

Will Philly see snow?

This graph shows the forecast snow totals for this week. (FOX Weather)

Forecasters are currently predicting no snowfall in Philadelphia or its suburbs. While weather models are still taking shape, the possibility of measurable snow is expected to remain in far western Pennsylvania late this week, including Pittsburgh and Williamsport.

Currently, only 1 to 3 inches of snow is forecast in those areas, while parts of West Virginia and neighboring states could see as much as a foot of snow. Forecasters agree that cold air from the Great Lakes could bring “lake effect” snow to New York, but that will depend on how cold temperatures drop.

“There is uncertainty about the extent of the cold air, which could impact precipitation types and snow totals in some locations,” the agency said in a Facebook post.

Travel forecast

This graph shows forecast rain totals in the Northeast. (FOX Weather)

Whether you stay local or take a multi-state road trip in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, you may encounter some minor travel hazards late this week. The weather service says travelers from Philadelphia should be on the lookout for rain showers starting Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

As the weekend approaches, the threat will diminish with the possibility of a stray shower on Friday afternoon. Temperatures will drop into the 50s during the week and top out in the low 30s at night.

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