Chance of snow on Thanksgiving for parts of Massachusetts. Maps show which areas could be affected

BOSTON – After weeks of dry weather and no rain, the busiest and most impactful weather week in months is coming over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The WBZ Weather Team is issuing a NEXT weather warning for a possible holiday coastal storm.

It is the busiest travel week of the year and we are tracking two storm systems.

Traveling on Monday

Locally the choice of the week (of course). We start the week with a mainly sunny seasonal day. In the afternoon the wind can be quite strong, but much less than on Sunday. Highs near or slightly above 50 degrees.

Nationally, there will be some light rain showers in the Ohio Valley and upper Midwest, and some snow in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The big storm of the week will make landfall along the West Coast with some areas of heavy rain from Washington to California and some snow in the mountains.

Traveling on Tuesday – Storm #1

Locally a rainy day in the northeast. Periods of rain showers from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, mainly light to moderate. Precipitation totals will generally be less than half an inch. Temperatures in our region will be in the low 50s on Tuesday.

Nationally, it will be quite windy in the Upper Midwest (behind the rain zone). The main storm will move through the Rockies, bringing some rain and snow showers that way.

Traveling on Wednesday

Locally a windy day in the wake of Tuesday’s storm. Expect partly sunny skies with highs in the 40s across southern New England.

Nationally, the main event will now have been moved to the central part of the country. It will be in the middle of preparation as it digs south into northern Texas. Expect some rain showers in the southern Plains and some accumulating snowfall in parts of Wyoming and Colorado.

Thanksgiving – Storm #2

It now looks like Thursday will bring the most impactful weather of the week. The chance of a coastal storm for New England is steadily increasing.

As we are still days away from this event, some important questions remain. There is certainly potential for a sizable and highly impactful storm. This system will also likely bring heavy precipitation, perhaps an inch or more of water on average. Ultimately, it will take another 24 to 48 hours before we can confidently predict local impacts and precipitation types.

Where could there be snow?

This storm has the potential to bring the first snow accumulations to parts of southern and central New England. Taking into account the time of year, ocean temperatures and the most likely storm track, the best chance of snowfall would be at higher elevations.

Currently, the greatest risk of snowfall accumulation is in the Green and White Mountains, followed by the Berkshires, the Monadnock Region and finally the Worcester Hills.

We can’t yet rule out snow further south and east and closer to Boston, but for now we’ll label that as a “lower” risk.

There is also a chance of a strong easterly wind on Thursday. With a storm track just offshore, we could see wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour along the immediate coastline. Fortunately, the tides are astronomically low, so coastal flooding is not a problem.

It is imperative that you stay on top of updated forecasts throughout the week. As for the timeline and impacts of rain, snow and wind, once we know, you will know.

Stay with WBZ-TV and CBSBoston.com for regular storm updates.