WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Thanksgiving will start off very wet. Steady and heavy rain will fall through the morning hours, which will impact any outdoor events like turkey trots or parades. There will be breezy winds, but not enough to keep the balloons from flying. The wind will make you feel miserable if you are not properly prepared for the weather.

Thanksgiving afternoon into the evening hours will have showers wrapping. There will be a chance to see a wintry mix come down as the temperatures start to get colder, but there will mainly be flurries.

There is a winter weather advisory across Western Ulster County, where 2-6 inches of snow is possible, and some of the higher elevations could get over 6 inches. That is where the bulk of the cold air will stay as the system comes into the area.

For Friday, and into the rest of the holiday weekend, drier conditions are expected but sadly, so will gusty winds. The winds will be at their highest on Saturday, gusting to around 25mph.

While the winds are coming in, they are bringing down colder air over time. So, the temperatures will be going down between Thursday and Sunday. If you are looking to get outside your home, and put up holiday lights, the "best" day to do it would be Sunday. Yes, the air will be cold, and winds will be lingering, but amongst the holiday weekend days, the ground will be dry and there will be less winds. It will just be cold out, so bundle up.

After Sunday, the cold air will linger heading through the first two weeks of December. Temperatures will trend below average for both the highs and lows.

Fall Foliage Colors:

All of the Hudson Valley is past peak.

Drought Monitor:

There is a severe drought (a 3 out of 5 on our scale) all across all our counties. An update will come out this week, likely showing some improvement to the drought scenario, after recent rain and snow.

TROPICS:

There are no systems being monitored by the National Hurricane Center.

10-DAY FORECAST:

OVERNIGHT: Clouds gather with showers arriving after midnight as a storm system approaches. Lows: Mid-30s to low 40s.

THURSDAY: THANKSGIVING - STORM WATCH - Cloudy with mostly rain. In the higher elevations to the north and west, there will be a wintry mix to snowflakes. Showers taper off through the afternoon hours. Highs: Mid- to upper 40s. Lows: Low 30s.

FRIDAY: Decreasing cloud cover with breezy to windy conditions. Highs: Mid- 40s. Lows: Upper 20s.

SATURDAY: A mix of sun and clouds with windy winds at times. Highs: Upper 30s to low 40s. Lows: Mid-20s.

SUNDAY: Partly cloudy and breezy at times. Highs: Mid- to upper 30s. Lows: Mid-20s.

MONDAY: Partly cloudy and breezy, with a chance of flurries. Highs: Mid- to upper 30s. Lows: Mid-20s.

TUESDAY: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs: Upper 30s to low 40s. Lows: Mid- 20s.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny to mostly cloudy. Highs: Upper 30s. Lows: Mid- 20s.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs: Upper 30s to low 40s. Lows: Upper 20s.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy. Highs: Upper 30s to low 40s. Lows: Mid-20s.

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs: Mid-30s. Lows: Low 20s.