Some advice for New Jerseyans traveling out of state this week: Pay close attention to flight schedules and weather advisories. Watch video
If you're planning to celebrate Christmas outside the Garden State, keep a close eye on flight schedules and weather alerts.
It's shaping up to be a stormy week across most of the nation, with snow storms threatening the western region and a good amount of rain hitting central, southern and eastern states, including New Jersey. Thrown into the mix are expectations of heavy fog in the East and the possibility of tornado outbreaks in parts of the South and the Ohio Valley on Wednesday.
That means there's a good chance of flight delays and sloppy highways.
"From the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast, the vast majority of holiday travelers will not have to contend with snow or ice," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in a Christmas travel outlook report this week. "However, delays and difficulties associated with rain and fog are likely, along with the potential for downpours in some locations."
Among the cities expected to be affected by bouts of heavy rain on Wednesday and into Thursday are Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Charlotte, N.C., according to AccuWeather.
PLUS: Records could be shattered by Christmas Eve warmth
The Weather Channel lists these interstate highways as those with the greatest probability of being affected by bad weather on Wednesday, one of the busiest travel days of the week:
* Interstate 95 from southern Maine to northern Florida (rain in most eastern states and thunderstorms in the Southeast)
* Interstate 90 from Boston to Minnesota (rain, possibly mixed with snow in southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin)
* Interstate 40 from North Carolina to Arkansas (rain and thunderstorms, possibly severe)
* Interstate 10 from Florida to Houston (rain and thunderstorms, possibly severe)
* Interstate 20 from east Texas to South Carolina (rain and thunderstorms, possibly severe)
* Interstate 5 from Washington state to southern Oregon (rain, some snow)
Here in New Jersey, on-and-off rain showers are in the forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with fog expected to form on Wednesday and warm temperatures expected to break all-time records on Christmas Eve.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
