NEW YORK – The Thanksgiving travel rush is in full swing across the tri-state area, with mostly dry skies early Monday giving way to rain by mid-afternoon — and heavy snow setting up later this week for parts of upstate and western New York.
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NYC weather today
This morning:
New Yorkers woke up to cloudy but calm skies, with temperatures around 48 degrees in Central Park, 39 in Islip, and 32 in East Hampton. Winds from the south are pulling in warmer air ahead of an approaching storm system.
When will it rain? 
Thanksgiving travel kicks off with wet weather across the Tri-State
Morning commuters are getting a mild but cloudy start, with rain set to roll in by mid-afternoon. FOX 5 NY’s meteorologist Mike Woods says the best time to hit the road for Thanksgiving travel is early — before showers and heavier pockets of rain move into the metro area tonight. Temperatures will reach the mid-50s today and rise into the low 60s tomorrow, but scattered showers could make travel tricky for those heading out later.
Timeline:
If you’re heading out for Thanksgiving, the best travel window is through early afternoon, before rain arrives from the west.
According to FOX 5 NY’s Mike Woods, showers will intensify into the evening commute, especially across New York City and areas north and west, before tapering overnight.
Highs will reach the mid-50s Monday and the low 60s Tuesday, with scattered showers lingering before cooler, drier air returns by midweek.
READ MORE:
Will it snow on Thanksgiving?
Dig deeper:
While New York City will see mostly rain, Fox Weather reports that a powerful lake-effect snowstorm is forecast to sweep across western New York beginning Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving travel.
Winter Storm Watches are in effect for areas south of Buffalo, including Dunkirk and Jamestown, where a foot or more of snow could fall through Black Friday, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Thanksgiving weather futurecast.
Farther east, the New York City metro area will escape the snow but could see cooler, breezy conditions late in the week as that storm system moves through the Great Lakes and pushes colder air into the Northeast.
Local traffic
If you’re driving for the holiday, AAA expects 73 million Americans to travel by car this week.
Traffic is expected to build late Monday afternoon and again Tuesday before the heaviest travel periods on Thanksgiving morning and Sunday evening.
Airports and flight delays
At LaGuardia Airport, most morning departures were on time, though a few delays were reported to Dallas, where weather disruptions over the weekend slowed operations.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says air traffic is back to full speed following weeks of slowdowns during the government shutdown.
The FAA projects Newark Liberty International Airport will see the most on-time departures in the region thanks to new equipment upgrades, though the incoming rain could still cause weather-related delays later in the day across the Northeast.
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Local perspective:
Track delays and cancelations at New York City area airports below:
JFK Airport status For more information from FlightAware, click HERE. LaGuardia Airport status For more information from FlightAware, click HERE. Newark Airport status For more information from FlightAware, click HERE.
The Source: This report is based on information from the FAA, AAA and FOX 5 NY’s meteorologist Mike Woods.