Southeast Georgia Thanksgiving Weather: Warm, Wet, and Ready for Travel

Southeast Georgia is in for a toastier and possibly rainier Thanksgiving week than usual. The culprit? La Niña, a weather pattern that's been known to bring milder temperatures to the region. This isn't just a local thing; the entire eastern half of the country is expected to see above-average temperatures. La Niña, a phenomenon that occurs every few years, is caused by cooling ocean surface temperatures in the central Pacific. This cooling fuels a jet stream that brings colder conditions to the north and warmer, milder weather to the south. The last La Niña event lasted for three years, but this year's is expected to be weaker and shorter-lived. But what does this mean for travel? Well, for starters, roads might be a bit slick. With 2. 1 million Georgians hitting the road for the holiday, according to AAA, it's something to keep in mind. As for air travel, Savannah's airport is expected to be in good shape. Despite nationwide air traffic control staffing shortages that caused delays at 40 major airports, Savannah was mostly spared. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order that reduced national domestic air travel by 10%, but Savannah's airport wasn't listed among those affected. The FAA has since terminated the flight reduction emergency order, so things should be back to normal for the holidays. So, what's the forecast looking like? Well, it's not just southeast Georgia and South Carolina that will be seeing above-normal temperatures. The entire eastern half of the country is expected to be warmer than usual. And while there might be some thunderstorms, overall, it looks like the rest of the fall season will be pretty mild for the southeast.