Traveling for Thanksgiving? Weather ahead of holiday will be volatile

As Thanksgiving celebration plans kick into gear, along with higher prices, tricky weather may play a role.

More:Volatile weather for Thanksgiving week

A storm forecast to move across the Great Lakes on Sunday will bring rain, strong winds and cold temperatures across Michigan, according to Accuweather forecasters.

The wintry storm Sunday and Monday in Michigan is the first of two risks for travelers; a storm on the Atlantic Coast early next week could slow air travel. Accuweather says there's a risk for "substantial direct delays at major airport hubs in the Midwest, such as Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit from Monday to Tuesday, as well as the major hubs in the East from Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston from Monday to Wednesday."

Any effect on airports in the Midwest and the East Coast likely would ripple across the entire country.

Michiganians will feel the winds of winter late Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

"A low pressure system and cold front will intensify as it moves through the area early Sunday night," according to the NWS forecast "This will bring a wintry cold blast of strong and gusty northwesterly winds that will approach gale force for the beginning of next week along with lake effect snow showers."

That storm system may cause travel issues on roads and highways.

"Shifting bands of lake-effect snow and snow squalls are then likely to unfold and could bring locally heavy accumulations from northern Indiana and Michigan to parts of Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York state from Monday to Wednesday," according to Accuweather.

While Michigan's storm Monday will push cold temperatures deep into the South, the Atlantic Coast storm could bring widespread rain and thunderstorms to the east.

But the big factor in Michigan will be wind: potential damage from strong gusts and cold from wind chill. 

"High temps in the low 30s, with strong wind gusts will keep wind chill values in the 20s through the day Monday," according to the NWS. "Slightly less wind Tuesday with high pressure returning to the area will lead to a still cool but dry day around here."