This Thanksgiving is looking like it's going to be either a cold one or wet one for a lot of Americans
- Forecasters are predicting a colder-than-usual Thanksgiving week across the Eastern United States, with chilly temperatures extending as far east as Indiana and Tennessee.
- On the West Coast, things could be wetter-than-usual, but temperatures should be warm.
- It will likely be a dry week for the entire eastern half of the US from the Eastern Seaboard to the Rocky Mountains.
The turkeys and pies in the oven won't know the difference, but Americans are in for some weird Thanksgiving Day weather this year.
The National Weather Service is out with its predictions for how temperatures and precipitation will shake out across the country next week - and the news isn't great for anyone who likes dry weather or warm days.
People on the East Coast will be in for a colder-than-usual Thanksgiving - with temperatures likely around 5 degrees below normal for that time of year - especially around Washington D.C. and into Maryland, Virginia and northern North Carolina.
This map shows the likelihood that temperatures will dip below average next week; the darker the blue, the more likely that area is going to see chillier-than-average temperatures from Nov. 20-24:
And though it may be cold across the Eastern Seaboard, rain and snow are unlikely.
The forecast is looking dry and chilly across the entire eastern United States, all the way from the Atlantic coast through the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes, to the Rocky Mountains.
This map shows the chances of below normal precipitation totals. Again, the darker the shading, the more likely the area is in for a dry week:
It could still be a snowy holiday for some folks who are used to lots of powder. The National Weather Service in State College, Pennsylvania said on Twitter that "odds are trending at or above historical probabilities for white Turkey Day" in the so-called snow belt areas around the Great Lakes.
On the West Coast, however, predictions are reversed.
Warmer-than-average November temperatures are expected from Monday the 20th to Friday the 24th for most of the western US, with the possibility of rain.
The chances for "above normal precipitation" are especially pronounced in central and Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, but basically, the entire area west of the Rockies could be in for a wet, snowy week:
In Alaska, temperatures could be even more frigid than the typical November lows, which are usually in the teens.
It's another reminder that winter is coming across the US.