NJ Thanksgiving Forecast: Hazardous Weather Outlook, 45 MPH Winds

NEW JERSEY — Forecasters are tracking a system that could bring "very windy conditions" to New Jersey on Wednesday and Thanksgiving, packing wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour.

National Weather Service forecasters have issued a hazardous weather outlook, saying the system may bring the "very" windy conditions during part of that period.

The worst of the windy weather is expected to arrive between 3 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. Thanksgiving, according to the National Weather Service.

That means the worst weather is expected to happen just as people are hitting the roads to see family and friends.

The winds are part of the same system expected to bring snow to the Midwest midweek. The storm, a low pressure system, could cause delays at Newark Liberty International Airport and other Northeast transportation hubs, forecasters warn.

The winds could also threaten the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Balloons in the annual parade can be operated only if sustained winds are below 23 mph and wind gusts are under 34 mph, AccuWeather reported.

"Gusts are forecast to frequent 30-50 mph from the north and northwest on Thanksgiving Day in the New York metro area," AccuWeather meteorologist Courtney Travis said.

The last time the parade's balloons were grounded because of weather was in 1971, The New York Times reported.

Here is the forecast:

• Tuesday afternoon: Sunny, with a high near 59. Southwest wind around 6 mph.
• Tuesday night: Patchy fog after 3 a.m. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Light and variable wind.
• Wednesday: A chance of showers after 8 a.m. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible.
• Wednesday night: A chance of showers, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Southwest wind 11 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible.
• Thanksgiving Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 21 mph and gusts as high as 45 mph.
• Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.