After a record-breaking post-Thanksgiving snowfall last year, it’s looking as if predicted lake-effect snow will arrive a day earlier for Erie this Thanksgiving.

The National Weather Service office in Cleveland, which handles the forecast for Erie, has placed Erie County under a hazardous weather outlook, or a warning about a weather phenomenon that could be considered hazardous.

The National Weather Service also issued a winter storm watch for Erie County on Nov. 24, which is issued when there is potential for significant or hazardous winter weather in the upcoming 48 hours. Crawford County is included in both the hazardous weather outlook and the winter storm watch.

The outlook and watch begin on the night of Nov. 26 and last through Nov. 28. The holiday week is predicted to be filled with rain and several inches of snow.

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Starting Nov. 25, the National Weather Service is predicting a rainy day with wind gusts reaching 21 miles per hour. There’s a 90% chance of precipitation on Tuesday with a high temperature of 52 degrees.

The rain will continue Nov. 25 after 7 p.m. with a 90% chance of precipitation. The low temperature will reach around 42 degrees that night.

The snow returns to Erie

That rain will continue into Nov. 26 and is predicted to be mixed with snow. The high temperature will reach near 54 degrees before dropping by at least 20 degrees by nightfall. NWS predicts little to no snow during the day.

Snow is predicted to begin before 7 p.m. on Nov. 26. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation with new snow accumulation of less than one inch with a low temperature of 25 degrees.

On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, the snow will continue and is predicted to worsen. NWS predicts the snowfall will be heavy at times mainly between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. There is a 90% chance of precipitation.

The snow will continue to be heavy at times through the evening, with 100% chance of precipitation predicted.

In the winter weather watch, NWS predicts Erie County will see an accumulation of 6 inches or more of snow on Thanksgiving, with the heaviest likely to occur through the afternoon and early evening with snowfall rates up to 1 inch per hour.

Patchy visibility around Thanksgiving

In the Nov. 26-28 holiday travel window, Brian Mitchell from the National Weather Service says high wind gusts could impact visibility at times.

“With the heaviest snow bands and the winds, we could see wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour so visibility could drop to a quarter of a mile at times,” Mitchell said. “It could drop to zero at times with a fair amount of snow and high winds blowing at you.”

A snow-filled weekend

The winter weather is predicted to continue throughout Black Friday, Nov. 28, with the NWS predicting 100% chance of precipitation.

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The chances of patchy, blowing snow will continue throughout the night and throughout Nov. 29.

NWS is predicting that the snow will continue throughout the weekend with some rain mixed in on Nov. 30.

Mitchell said Erie could see a possible break in the snowfall during the weekend.

“Most of the snow should start tapering off on Friday,” Mitchell said. “You still have a chance of snow throughout the weekend but more lighter snow. There’s a slight warming trend after that.”

Keep track of Erie-area weather

Get the latest AccuWeather forecast details and radar images for your ZIP code at goerie.com/weather. Download the GoErie app for iOS or Android for mobile-friendly forecasts. Sign up to get weather alerts via text based on your interests or location.

Contact Nicholas Sorensen at Nsorensen@gannett.com.