Thanksgiving travel hell could see 100M at risk of extreme weather
- While the West will be spared, over a dozen states in the Midwest, Northeast and the Great Lakes are at risk – with meteorologists citing snow and gusty winds
- This comes after the Plains states were slammed with several inches of snow over the weekend, with cities in Kansas reporting snowfall of up to eight inches
- Because of the prospects of hindered travel this time around, travelers with the flexibility to head home later in the week are currently being told to do so
Millions of people heading home from Thanksgiving[2] trip could face with nasty weather, including snow, delaying travel and causing headaches.
While most of the West is set to be spared, more than a dozen states in the Midwest, Northeast and around the Great Lakes are at risk – with meteorologists citing strong snow and gusty winds coming from the systems.
This comes after the Plains states were slammed with several inches of snow over the weekend, with cities in Kansas[3] reporting record snowfall to the tune of eight inches.
Several car crashes were reported as a result, along with a litany of delays. Because of the prospects of hindered travel this time around, travelers with the flexibility to head home later in the week are being told to wait.
That’s due to the fact that the day these storms are set to strike is the busiest day to travel home, per the AAA. Nearly 3million people are set to travel today at airports, making it the busiest travel day of the year.
Millions of people heading home from Thanksgiving trip could face with nasty weather, including snow, delaying travel and causing headaches
This comes after the Plains states were slammed with several inches of snow over the weekend, with cities in Kansas reporting record snowfall. On Saturday, Wichita (seen here Sunday morning) broke its daily snowfall record after picking up nearly 8 inches
The agency, however, also said Monday is also a big day, and will likely be a better alternative as the high-pressure systems continue to move.
‘For many Americans, Thanksgiving and travel go hand in hand, and this holiday, we expect more people on the roads, skies, and seas compared to 2022,’ said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of the federal agency’s travel faction, last week.
‘Travel demand has been strong all year, and AAA’s Thanksgiving forecast reflects that continued desire to get away and spend time with loved ones.’
The agency exec went on to forecast how a record 55.4 million Americans were expected to travel by air, road and rail in the United States for the holiday this year, as more people continue put the pandemic into the rearview.
Millions more in cities such as Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee will be at risk Sunday, as snowfall enhancements are possible south and east of the Great Lakes, meaning spots in Indiana and Michigan could see isolated higher amounts.
Even without the phenomenon, meteorologists say that much of the region will end up coated in at least three inches.
Airport hubs such as Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit will thus all be affected – hampering many of the some 2.9 million airport passengers the AAA said will be traveling Sunday, which is an all-time record.
All face the looming possibility of wintry weather, already experienced in airports in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Denver, Minneapolis and Kansas City earlier in the weekend, where officials Saturday worked relentlessly to remove snow and ice from planes.
Nearly 3million people are set to travel today at airports, making it the busiest travel day of the year
Millions more in cities such as Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee will be at risk Sunday, as snowfall enhancements are possible south and east of the Great Lakes, meaning spots in Indiana and Michigan could see higher amounts.
According to the FAA, nearly 45,000 flights have been scheduled Sunday, 2,231 of which have already been delayed as of 1pm. A large portion of those delays, according to flight tracker FlightAware, came out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, the fourth busiest in the US
AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham on Saturday explained how the system – now hitting a wide area of the Midwest – will worsen as it collides with the one set to strike the northeast, coming from Canada.
‘The same storm that brought the accumulating snow to the Rockies and Plains on Friday and Saturday is expected to join forces with another moving south from Canada,’ he said.
‘This will bring accumulating snow and slippery travel to the Midwest and Great Lakes on Sunday.’
According to the FAA, nearly 45,000 flights have been scheduled Sunday, 2,231 of which have already been delayed as of 1pm.
A large portion of those delays, according to flight tracker FlightAware, came out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway Airport. A few hundred more were recorded at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, near the Great Lakes.
At Denver International – the nation’s third-busiest air hub – snow is winding down, after officials reported 700 flights delayed on Saturday alone, due to snow seen over the Thanksgiving weekend.
In addition to the snow recorded in Colorado – nearly a foot in some cases – a mix of sleet and freezing rain as far south as Texas and as far northwest as Oklahoma and southern Kansas further hampered travel, and caused a few crashes in the process, resulting in the deaths of at least three people in central Nebraska.
Winter storm warnings blanketed much of Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas, while less severe winter weather advisories reach down to northwest Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.
Delays are forecast the storms from that system – which just bombarded the Rockies – sweep across the central states with snow from the Canadian border to Kansas, while being bolstered by a dueling storm further north coming from Canada
Earlier in the weekend, a mix of sleet and freezing rain as far south as Texas and as far northwest as Oklahoma (seen here) and southern Kansas already hampered travel. Disruptions there and further east are poised to continue, on what’s set to be the busiest day in TSA history
More than 100million are within those confines, and snow was seen falling from Illinois to Wisconsin and Michigan on Sunday morning as early as 9am.
By Sunday afternoon, snow will begin to wind down across Illinois and Wisconsin while picking up across Michigan, while also hitting communities in Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania
Icy roads and highways across all those states will likely lead to slower drive times, experts warned, urging travelers to plan accordingly and perhaps postpone if possible.
As the night progresses, the storm – and the colder air rushing in behind it – will also lead to a round of lake-effect snow downwind of the Great Lakes that should continue into Tuesday.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg said this phenomenon – which occurs when cold air moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes – will cause the coldest temperatures so far this season, and leave as much as 20 inches of snow in some areas.
Forecasters say a record 55.4 million Americans were expected to travel by air, road and rail in the United States for the holiday this year. Pictured: A Philadelphia interstate on Nov. 22 as the holiday travel seasons begins
‘With colder air in place across the interior Northeast, some snow will blanket the higher terrain beginning Sunday night,” said Lundberg of the Canadian system’s projected path.
‘This includes portions of the Adirondacks, the Green and White Mountains, as well as western Maine.’
He added ‘as the storm deepens and moves away Monday and Monday night, the coldest air so far this season will be drawn across the Great Lakes.
‘In turn, bands of lake-effect snow will form and disrupt travel into Tuesday.’
Most of the bad weather will then end up in the East by Monday, before blowing over the Atlantic and brushing over Canadian locales like Ottawa, Montreal and New Brunswick.
As a result, temperatures around along I-80 and northward are expected to be below freezing, and cold enough that most of the precipitation will fall in the freezing variety.
‘Travel in the heaviest snow bands, especially in New York, could become nearly impossible after dark Monday as gusty winds combine with snowfall rates of a few inches per hour to create blizzard-like conditions,’ added AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda of the storms’ future path.
References
- ^ Alex Hammer For Dailymail.Com (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Thanksgiving (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Kansas (www.dailymail.co.uk)