AccuWeather reports a stormy pattern persisting into Thanksgiving will have impact on the busiest cross-country travel week of the year.

More people travel farther during the week of Thanksgiving than any other week of the year, according to the American Automobile Association, or AAA.

AAA is projecting that 48.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home Wednesday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Nov. 27, which will be the greatest volume since 2007, just prior to the Great Recession.

Those hitting the highways or airports early to beat the rush may still encounter some trouble from Mother Nature late this week and this weekend.

Tranquil weather comes to an end this week

After pummeling the northern Plains with a snowstorm and blizzard conditions, a storm will reorganize and affect the Great Lakes and Northeast this weekend, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.

Initially, rain and warmth will sweep eastward.

“However, the first true blast of much colder air could bring the first snowfall of the season from the Great Lakes to the central Appalachians during Saturday night and into Sunday,” Margusity said.

Motorists should be prepared for expanding slippery conditions along Interstate 68, I-79, I-80, I-90 and I-99, as well as the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Southern Tier Expressway during Saturday night and Sunday.

Even in absence of a widespread area of heavy snow, bands of lake-effect snow will occur. There is the potential that strong winds could sweep eastward and hinder high-profile vehicles on the highways and cause airline delays from Chicago to Detroit and Pittsburgh during Saturday to Sunday and from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and New York City spanning Sunday to Monday.

More storms to queue up during Thanksgiving week

As one storm exits the Northeast with its charge of cold air, a new storm will arrive along the Pacific coast Sunday night and Monday.

Motorists venturing north or south along the I-5 corridor will encounter patches of rain during Sunday and Monday. Rain can extend as far south as Los Angeles and San Diego.

This new storm will spread patchy snow across the Intermountain West with some rain over the interior Southwest during Monday into Monday night, including the Phoenix area. Where little rain falls, winds may be strong enough to cause some blowing dust along the I-10 corridor.

As travel ramps up Tuesday into Wednesday, the new storm will be gathering moisture and producing more substantial precipitation over part of the Central states.

While precise timing and the dividing line between rain and snow are not certain this far out, there is the potential for a substantial and impactful storm with rain and snow during the middle of next week.

The exact track and strength of the storm will determine where rain versus snow will fall over the Midwest and also the severity of any thunderstorms that swing through areas farther south.

Up until any downpours sweep across the South on Wednesday or Thursday, smoke will periodically reduce the visibility around the southern Appalachians. At times, the smoke can be thick enough to slow travel on the highways.

The storm has the potential to cause travel disruptions by the middle of the week in major hubs such as Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Nashville, Atlanta and New Orleans.

By Thanksgiving Day, the same storm may be producing drenching rain along the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts with rain or snow inland.

As one storm converges the Midwest then the Northeast during the middle of next week, yet another storm will roll into the Northwest.

Heavy rain and poor visibility could be a problem along I-5, including the Seattle area, with snow for parts of the Cascades and northern Rockies during the day before Thanksgiving.

While the track and speed of the storms will vary, the bulk of the direct weather impacts will be over the northern half of the nation leading up to Thanksgiving, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

“The greatest chance of some direct and significant travel impacts through this week and during much of Thanksgiving week will be from the I-70 corridor on north to the Canada border,” Pastelok said.

Regardless of calm weather at your departure or destination point, inclement weather at other airports could displace aircraft and crews for a time and lead to delays or cancellations.

Alex Sosnowski is senior meteorologist for www.AccuWeather.com .

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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Due to issues involving its condition, the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park Ranch House has been temporarily closed and the popular Christmas event has been canceled this year.

During the Clayton fire in Lower Lake in August, State Park Rangers and maintenance staff evacuated valuable items from the ranch house.

During this process, State Parks determined that extensive cleaning and repair will be needed before the ranch house can be reopened to the public.

Although the ranch house roof was replaced this summer, that alone was not enough to restore and maintain the historic old building, parts of which were originally constructed in 1855.

Unfortunately, closure of the ranch house means that the annual “Christmas at the Ranch” event, presented by the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, will have to be canceled for this year.

“We are very disappointed that the Christmas event will have to be canceled,” said association President Roberta Lyons. “At the present time, we do not know when the ranch house can be reopened to the public. It is vital, however, that the historic Anderson ranch house be preserved in perpetuity and it has reached the point where extensive work is necessary to maintain the building.”

For information about AMIA and its programs, visit www.andersonmarsh.org or contact the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association at either This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-995-2658.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Christmas in Middletown is an annual, free community event occurring on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. 

The streets of Middletown are filled with neighbors and friends who greet you as you pass. Families turn out in multiple generations, rain or shine.

Organizations set up booths on the streets and indoors at the high school cafeteria to sell goodies and crafts or offer to gift wrap your purchases in order to support their good works. 

Decorated merchant storefronts and business-sponsored, cut Christmas trees with ornaments created by area schoolchildren bring a festive feel to the town. The trees are later donated to local families in need through Spirit of the Season.

Santa Claus arrives on an old-fashioned fire truck to the Middletown Park where he helps with the tree lighting and carol singing at 5:15 p.m.

Afterwards, he meets children from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Mrs. Claus gives each a stuffed animal, courtesy of Hospice Services.

Nearby is a free hot chocolate bar and craft table for kids donated and run by the Middletown Seventh-day Adventist School.

The free Passport for Fun program encourages participants to visit member businesses to collect stamps in their passports for a chance to win a prize. This year, two firepits donated by Hardester’s Markets and gift certificates to area businesses will be awarded.

Individual businesses compete for “best decorated” storefront and they pass out their own refreshments to passersby.  It’s a perfect small town event.

Find out more at www.christmasinmiddletown.com or visit the Middletown Area Merchant Association Web site at www.middletownareamerchants.com .

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Millions of Californians will travel the road this Thanksgiving holiday weekend to visit with family and friends.

While this time of year is usually full of joy, it can be one of the deadliest on our roadways. To help motorists avoid tragedies, the California Highway Patrol will have all available officers on patrol during the Thanksgiving Maximum Enforcement Period, or MEP.

Although the number of people killed in traffic collisions during last year’s Thanksgiving weekend was down from 2014, 35 people died in collisions in California. Of the 17 vehicle occupants killed within CHP jurisdiction, 41 percent of them were not wearing seat belts.

“Buckling up is simple and the most important safety measure you can take to protect yourself in a collision,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “Seat belts save lives and prevent injuries. Do not put your own life at risk, or the life of your family or friends. Buckle up.”

Nationwide, more than half the drivers and passengers killed in collisions are not wearing seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that seat belts saved the lives of 12,802 passenger vehicle occupants in 2014.

The MEP begins at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 23, and continues through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27.

During the MEP, CHP officers will educate motorists and enforce traffic safety laws throughout the state to ensure everyone has a safe holiday.

The CHP reminds motorists to travel at a speed that is safe for conditions, avoid driving distracted and designate a non-drinking driver for the safety of everyone on the road.

Last year during the Thanksgiving holiday, the CHP made more than 1,000 arrests for DUI.

The public is encouraged to report unsafe or impaired drivers by calling 9-1-1.

California election administrators continue the detailed and tedious process of vote counting and election canvassing as the federal government prepares for a transfer of power and voter attention shifts from the Nov. 8 General Election to the holidays and new year.

In the state of California, election results are not final and certified until early December, which can come as a surprise to some election observers who frequently have a keen interest in contests where the margin of victory is extremely close and remain vigilant in their observation and anticipation of the final count.

According to Dean Logan, registrar-recorder/county clerk for Los Angeles County and President of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, California has one of the lengthiest post-election canvass periods in the nation.

Counties in the state have up to 28 days to complete the count for President and up to 30 days for all other contests and measures.

“Historically, up to one third of the total ballots cast in an election are processed and counted during this post-election canvassing period,” Logan added.

The extended period is responsive to the state’s open voting model that includes multiple options for voting and failsafe provisions to ensure voters who are unable to get to their assigned polling place on Election Day or those whose registration status is in question are able to cast ballots and, once verified, have their votes included in the final, certified returns.

“It is often surprising to the public and media – and agonizing for the candidates and political parties – to have to wait out the final count, but California election law places completeness and accuracy over speed,” said Logan. “And, in the end, our electorate is best served by ensuring every vote counts.”

There are three categories of ballots that make up those that remain to be processed after Election Day:

· Vote-by-Mail – or absentee – ballots cast and returned by mail in the final days leading up to and on the day of the election as well as mail ballots turned in at polling places on Election Day. State law allows ballots postmarked on or before and received within three business days of the election to be counted. Records must be checked to ensure the same voters did not also appear to vote in person at a polling place on Election Day.

Additionally, state law requires comparison and verification of voter signatures on all mail ballot return envelopes to the signature on voter registration records prior to counting. Another new state law allows voters who forgot to sign their vote by mail ballot envelope up to eight days after the election to provide a signature.

· Provisional ballots cast by voters who were not listed on the precinct rosters where they appeared to vote or who were listed as having been issued a mail ballot that they misplaced, didn’t receive and/or weren’t able to surrender at the time of voting. These ballots also must be manually reviewed to confirm voter eligibility and undergo signature verification. Once verified, they must be checked to ensure contests and measures counted match up to where the voter is registered.

· Ballots with write-in votes are set aside in the initial vote counting process to allow for a check to ensure no votes were cast in the same contest for a candidate already listed on the ballot. Write-in votes must also be checked against the list of declared write-in candidates and then manually tallied for reporting on the final returns.

Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley reported last week that she and her staff have nearly 12,000 ballots to finish processing during the official canvass period. That tally includes 1,497 provisional ballots and 10,494 absentees.

The Secretary of State's Office said Tuesday that approximately 2,078,794 ballots remain to be processed statewide.

In addition to processing and counting the remaining ballots in the election, county officials must also conduct a series of legally required audit and record keeping processes prior to certifying the results to the Secretary of State's Office.

“All of these activities contribute to the transparency and accountability of the state’s election process,” Logan said.

In response to the massive tree die off across California – which the U.S. Forest Service today estimated has killed over 102 million trees since 2010 – Cal Fire is continuing its work with federal, local, and utility partners to remove dead and dying trees that pose the greatest risk to public safety.
 
“Although the epidemic tree mortality we are facing is devastating, it has galvanized partnerships at all levels, and focused renewed interests on forest health,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director and California’s state forester. “With disaster comes opportunity, and we will continue our work to remove the dead and dying trees that pose the greatest risk to public safety and private property.”
 
To date, Cal Fire and its partners have removed more than 423,000 trees in 10 counties, inspected and cleared of dead trees nearly 52,000 miles of roads and powerlines, treated more than 26,000 acres and created roughly 1,300 acres of fuel breaks.
 
“The number of dead trees in our state is truly saddening and another widespread impact of this historic drought we are managing in our state,” said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “Through the Governor’s Tree Mortality Task Force, we’re actively leveraging all of our resources around California to ensure protection of lives, critical infrastructure and the environment in our wooded communities and wildlands.”
 
Stakeholders working through the Governor’s Tree Mortality Task Force committed to redouble their efforts in the face of an expanding epidemic of trees killed by drought and bark beetles.

On Nov. 18, the U.S. Forest Service increased its estimate of the number of dead trees in California’s forestlands from 66 million to 102 million, greatly widening the estimated scope of a die-off unprecedented in modern history.

The estimated 36 million dead trees identified by the U.S. Forest Service in its latest aerial surveys will heighten the danger of falling trees and wildfire for years to come.
 
California has endured five years of drought – 2012 to 15 are the four driest consecutive years on record, based on statewide precipitation – and drought continues despite improved precipitation in Northern California last winter.

Drought is a frequent and natural feature of California’s Mediterranean climate, and the state’s highest economic losses due to drought typically involve loss of timberland and wildfire damage.

Healthy trees typically produce enough resinous pitch to repel bark beetles, but beetle populations can flourish among stands of trees stressed by lack of precipitation.

The beetles and their larvae feed on the tree’s living tissue. Beetle-damaged trees can take down powerlines, damage homes and fuel wildfire.
 
Over $10 million in state funds have been earmarked in grants for local projects to help combat tree mortality, focusing on the removal of dead and dying trees around homes.

Another $6 million of state funds have been used to buy equipment for removing dead and dying trees in high-hazard zones.

Ten counties stretching from Placer to Kern have been identified as the highest-hazard region for tree mortality.
 
“Work to address this massive bark beetle epidemic began quickly a year ago, and the joint undertaking continues,” said Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann. “The sheer number of dead trees is hard to imagine, but it’s real and we must continue our efforts to address the fact that this will be an ongoing issue for years to come. We have come a long way since Governor Brown first declared this emergency. It is important that we recognize the substantial progress as we redouble our efforts to deal with this ecosystem impacting event.”

In October 2015, Gov. Brown signed an executive order addressing tree mortality, including the creation of a Tree Mortality Task Force. More than 80 local, state and federal agencies, as well as utilities and other stakeholders, focus on a coordinated response through the task force.
 
Additional information on the work of the task force to date can be found here.
 
For more information on how to be ready for wildfire and to learn how to make your trees healthy and prepared for bark beetles, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .