This will be the weather for Thanksgiving: showers are expected in the southern US and a storm after Thursday

Check out this alternative for stuffed turkey 1:12

(CNN) --

If you're one of the 54 million people traveling this Thanksgiving week, you'll need a travel to-do list.

Luckily, travel UP TO Thanksgiving seems to be mostly free of weather concerns.

But travel AFTER Thanksgiving could experience some time issues, especially in the East.

The storms could cause difficulties for the celebrations at the end of the week.

• Snow lashes Western New York as the Buffalo metro area has up to 2-meter accumulation

Thanksgiving Storm in the South

A storm system will begin to develop on Thanksgiving Day over the southern Plains and will bring moisture along the Gulf Coast.

While most of Thanksgiving will remain dry, the rain will begin to fall and intensify through the afternoon across much of central and eastern Texas, as well as Louisiana, Arkansas, and the lower Mississippi River Valley.

Cities like Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Tennessee, Shreveport, Louisiana, and Little Rock, Arkansas could start to see rain as the day progresses.

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"Are you thankful for the rain?" asked meteorologists from the weather service in Houston.

"Because how willing you are to answer yes to that question will probably play a huge role in how much you enjoy the holiday on Thursday."

They are correct.

The forecast looks wet for much of the South come Thanksgiving.

Some areas in eastern Texas and central Louisiana will receive several inches of rain.

Areas along the Texas coast could also see some thunderstorms.

“Unfortunately, this could put a damper on some of your Thanksgiving cookout/cooking plans, as a lot of this rain seems to be heavy at times,” the weather service in Shreveport said.

Not only could it be a wet afternoon for football in many backyards across the South, but rain and even a rumble of thunder could affect the annual Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game.

While the timing of the rain can be a bummer, nearly 70% of the South is in dry conditions, so the rain is something to be thankful for.

On the western side of this system, snow could fall in parts of the Texas and Oklahoma fringes.

“An upper-level dynamic system is forecast to bring shocking winter weather to the Plains region beginning on Thanksgiving Day and may continue through Saturday morning,” the weather service in Amarillo said.

“Snow, mixed precipitation, and rain are possible during this period, which could have a major impact on any travel related to this holiday.”

Some models suggest up to 12 inches of snow could fall in this region between Thursday and Saturday.

Post-Thanksgiving storm could create travel issues

The area of ​​low pressure that will bring Thanksgiving rain to the south will work its way to the east and cause problems for those traveling after Thanksgiving.

The rain will expand on Friday, stretching from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast.

From New Orleans to Cleveland, Atlanta to Boston and even areas around Buffalo already experiencing the effects of snowfall, there will be a chance of rain on Friday.

This quick hit of rain will roll in from the East Coast on Friday night, before the main event.

Another area of ​​low pressure will move up the East Coast later this weekend and could lead to some major travel issues.

This storm will “bring potential for moderate to heavy quick rain Saturday night/Sunday (heavy rain axis depending on low track and rate of intensification) as well as gusty winds in its path from Sunday through Monday,” the weather service office in New York City said.

The details are still being worked out and there is uncertainty, but we could see very heavy showers scattered throughout the Northeast and New England during the second half of the weekend.

Some good news: Snow is not forecast, except for a possibility at some of the higher elevations in New England.

But the cold rain could definitely be enough to delay your trip back home.

Thanksgiving Temperatures and Forecast for the Macy's Parade

Much of the East will remain fairly mild for Thanksgiving with temperatures in the 50s and 60s for most of the South, the Ohio Valley, and the mid-Atlantic.

The Northeast will stay in the 40 to 50 degree Fahrenheit range (4 to 10 Celsius) for the most part.

New York City will see temperatures below 30 Fahrenheit (-1 Celsius) on Thanksgiving Day, with highs around 50 Fahrenheit (10 Celsius).

Sunny skies and light winds are expected to allow the balloons of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to fly high.

-- CNN's Haley Brink contributed to this report.

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