Note from the editor: Stay tuned to YSL News’s Wednesday updates for the Thanksgiving 2024 weather forecast and travel information.

Severe weather conditions during Thanksgiving can have effects beyond just disrupting travel plans, impacting events like the Macy’s parade or even making guests reconsider their plans to bring mashed potatoes.

The late-fall weather can turn dangerous, leading to significant snowstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes while wildfires may still pose risks.

Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday gathering season, but joy can quickly fade if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Here’s a recap of some significant weather occurrences during Thanksgiving over the past several decades:

Notable Tornado Outbreak of 1992

From November 21 to 23, 1992, just before Thanksgiving, a total of 94 tornadoes touched down across a vast area of the United States, stretching from Texas to the Carolinas and up to the Ohio Valley. This devastating event resulted in 26 fatalities and 641 injuries, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The frequency of tornadoes in the U.S. surged in the 1990s and has remained high compared to earlier decades, even though the average for November from 1950 to 2018 was only eight, making it one of the months with the fewest tornadoes.

This 1992 outbreak was both remarkable and destructive, particularly affecting Mississippi and leaving extensive damage in Texas and Georgia as it traversed through 13 states.

According to a NOAA report, “Viewing the devastation afterward is distressing and hard to comprehend. Experiencing such a disaster must be the ultimate nightmare.”

The Great Appalachian Snowstorm of 1950

This particularly fierce Thanksgiving weekend storm, aptly named, dumped as much as 57 inches of snow in the Appalachian region, bringing record-low temperatures to the Ohio Valley and Upper Midwest.

Chicago recorded a temperature of minus-2 degrees Fahrenheit the Friday after Thanksgiving, while Bowling Green, Kentucky registered minus-7, Lexington minus-3, and Louisville minus-1 degrees.

NOAA states that 160 people lost their lives due to the harsh weather conditions, including extreme cold, winds, blizzards, and heavy precipitation, although AccuWeather estimates this number at 353 and cites damages of $66.7 million (based on 1950 values) affecting 22 states.

NOAA described it as “one of the most damaging and meteorologically unique winter storms to hit the eastern United States,” noting wind gusts of 94 mph in New York City and 160 mph in Mount Washington, New Hampshire.

The Bomb Cyclone of 2019

The term “bomb cyclone,” used to describe a rapidly intensifying winter storm, wasn’t widely recognized prior to the significant cold front that impacted the California-Oregon border just two days before Thanksgiving in 2019.

This term has since gained popularity, largely due to the extensive effects of this storm: it brought at least 4 inches of snow to 30 states, reaching as far as Maine. Particularly severe snowfall was recorded in California, where Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon National Park and Big Bear Lake each received over 48 inches of snow.

Heavy snowfall and rainfall created hazardous travel conditions across California, resulting in blizzards and strong gusts of wind persisting for several days. San Francisco and Los Angeles experienced hail, while some roads in San Diego were under two feet of water.

In a social media post, the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada advised travelers about the dangerous road conditions, suggesting it would be simpler to just “stay home this weekend.”

Hurricane Iwa in Hawaii, 1982

A rare late-season storm, Hurricane Iwa, made landfall on the Hawaiian islands on November 23, 1982, just two days prior to Thanksgiving. It was the strongest hurricane to hit Hawaii since the state was established in 1959, causing extensive damage in Kauai, Oahu, and Niihau.

Iwa, with sustained winds reaching up to 86 mph, resulted in one direct death and three indirect fatalities. Although it only narrowly missed Kauai, coming within 25 miles, it still produced storm surges up to 8 feet and resulted in damages estimated at $234 million, according to research from the University of Hawaii.

A decade later, Hawaii faced its most devastating storm to date, Hurricane Iniki, which struck in September 1992 with winds topping 130 mph. Its damages were estimated between $2.3 billion and $3 billion.

The Frigid Thanksgiving of 2018 in New York City

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York generally sees temperatures in the 40s, similar to what’s expected this Thursday, though with considerable rain predicted.

In contrast, the cold snap experienced six years ago was quite unusual. A frigid front not only affected New York but also extended south to the Mid-Atlantic, with temperatures nearing record lows.

Both participants and spectators dressed warmly as the famous parade traveled through Manhattan with temperatures dipping into the 20s. Earlier in the day, Central Park recorded a chilling 19 degrees, marking it as the second-coldest Thanksgiving on record for the city, only surpassed by a reading from over a century ago.

Fortunately, winds did not reach levels of 23 mph or greater, which would have resulted in the parade balloons being grounded for safety.