turkey temperature

By MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer � Nov. 19, 2007 � 10:17 am
Turkey Day should be about average, according to the National Weather Service.

"The normal high temperature for Thanksgiving is 57 degrees and the normal low is 38 degrees …" said Bobby Boyd, Nashville's National Weather Service meteorologist.

"Historically, there is a 34 percent chance of rain on any given Thanksgiving in Nashville," he added.

The forecast calls for a high in the lower 50's with cloudy skies and a 40 percent chance of showers, which is just about average.

The rain chance will make escaping to the outside a little less comfortable than staying in with relatives, but at least the Weather Service isn't calling for cold and snow.

"The coldest Thanksgiving in Nashville was in 1930 when the high was only 32 degrees and the low was 18 degrees," Boyd said.

Last year the holiday topped out at 64 degrees with a low of 30 and no rain or snow.

"The last time snow fell on Thanksgiving in Nashville was in 1972 when a trace occurred," Boyd said. "It's unlikely that many people saw the snow since it fell between midnight and 2 a.m."

Actually snow has only fallen on three Thanksgivings, since record keeping in Nashville began in 1884.

1950 was the snowiest Thanksgiving with 2 inches falling on Turkey Day and another 7.2 inches falling the day after. Snow also fell in 1938 and 1936.

On the other end of the spectrum, 1896 was the warmest Thanksgiving with a high of 72 degrees.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 869-0816 oThe 13th annual Turkey Trot 5-kilometer race drew a record crowd this morning, as runners and walkers lined up on St. Louis Street stretching from Kimbrough Avenue to Park Central Square.

Jodie Adams, park director, told the crowd that the annual race drew more than 4,000 participants this year, about 600 more than last year.

The high attendance places Turkey Trot as one of the biggest races in Missouri, she said.

Gov. Matt Blunt was also among the crowd. Later he said the race reflected the community spirit.

?It says a lot about the community, it says a lot about the runners, who came out when it?s 20 (degrees),? Blunt said.

The low temperature this morning was a topic among runners. Some complained it was too cold, but some said they preferred running in the cold weather.

Many runners and walkers donned a turkey hat. Some were well wrapped up against the cold weather, while performance runners braced the frigid weather as they lined up at the start with shorts and long-sleeve tech shirts. cold snap expected to arrive later today could paralyze travelers heading to the west and north of the region by transforming roads into slick routes to grandma's house, but Twin Tiers residents should remain unscathed, according to forecasters.

An estimated 38 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles today to keep their Thanksgiving holiday dinner dates, according to the AAA Web site. About 80 percent, or 31 million, of those travelers are expected to travel by car, the Web site states. For those hitting the roads out of the Twin Tiers, highway travel might get tricky.

"It could get a little sloppy in the northern portions of New York, near the Thruway," said Mike Evans, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Binghamton. "I wouldn't rule out snow here, but it's unlikely."

The blame for the potentially slippery roads falls on a low pressure system which moved over the Ohio Valley on Wednesday, bringing unsettling weather to the Twin Tiers, said Joe Veres, chief meteorologist at WENY-TV NewsChannel 36.

"The good news is, the heaviest precipitation (on Thanksgiving) will call for rain in Elmira," he said.

By this afternoon, however, the temperature is expected to plummet, and higher elevations across the Twin Tiers could see a wintry mix of snow and sleet, Veres said.

"As the low-pressure system moves toward New England, cold air will wrap around the storm, causing a sleet mixture and some snow showers," Veres said. "But by that time, the heaviest precipitation will have left our area. We might get a slushy inch of snow, but we've dealt with worse."

The worst of the weather, according to the National Weather Service, will be to the region's northwest, in cities such as Buffalo and Rochester.

For this region, the shift from Wednesday's spring-type high of 60 in Elmira to more wintry temperatures means that Black Friday bargain hunters and Elmira downtown parade goers better bundle up. The forecast calls for temperatures to hover in the mid-30s throughout the day on Friday, Veres said. Normal highs for this time of year average about 44 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

"It'll be chilly for shoppers on Friday," Veres said. "Especially the die-hards who camp out the night before."

By the weekend, however, the mercury will creep back up to normal highs.

Forecasts for Saturday and Sunday call for sunshine and temperatures above 40 degrees