Many people have already arrived at their destinations for the Thanksgiving holiday, but for everyone else, a storm that is expected to move from the Rockies to the Midwest and Northeast into Thursday will bring rain and snow, which will probably affect flights and congested roadways.
A record 71.7 million people were anticipated to travel by car during Thanksgiving, more than 1 million more than the previous year, and the Transportation Security Administration was slated to screen just under 3 million individuals on Wednesday.
The storm is expected to speed eastward throughout Wednesday to the Midwest and Northeast through Thanksgiving after dropping snow over the Rockies Wednesday morning and slowing by the afternoon.
Rain is expected to intensify in the evening from St. Louis to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, with the potential for ice and snow.
In the early hours of Thanksgiving morning, the storm will continue to travel eastward through the night and produce cold rain from Richmond to Boston along the I-95 corridor.
FlightAware reports that as of Wednesday evening, there were 45 flights cancelled and roughly 4,000 delays in or out of the United States.
Nearly 6,400 mainline and regional flights were operated by American Airlines on Tuesday, and the airline anticipated that over 650,000 passengers would travel on Wednesday across nearly 6,400 flights—that is, nearly 4.5 American planes leaving every minute of the day.
Due to a lack of air traffic controllers, there was a ground delay at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Wednesday from 1 p.m. ET to 2 a.m. Thursday.
On Wednesday, there were over 300 delays out of Newark, some lasting at least 95 minutes.
On Wednesday afternoon, the FAA announced that snow and ice were likely to cause delays in Salt Lake City and Denver.
Airport officials in such locations were deicing aircraft so they could take off. On Wednesday, Denver was at the front of the pack with 600 aircraft delays.
According to FlightAware, delays were in the triple digits in Boston, Dallas, and Las Vegas as well.
According to FlightAware, there were 37 outbound delays at Tampa International Airport on Wednesday due to fog. The FAA stated earlier Wednesday that delays were also a problem in Seattle and Los Angeles, where low ceilings were anticipated to have some effects on operations.
Rain affected I-80, I-64, and I-75 on Wednesday, while snow affected I-25 and I-70 in the Rockies.
The I-95 region from Florida to Maine will see a mess of rain on Thanksgiving Day, while the interior Northeast and New England will get a lot of snow.
Upstate New York and interior New England locations north of the Hudson Valley should anticipate 1 to 3 inches of wet snow, with localized totals of more than 6 inches at the highest mountain summits.
Three to six inches of snow, and possibly more, could fall from northeast Pennsylvania to New Hampshire. Windy conditions could cause power disruptions in the region.
With temperatures in the 40s and drenching rain predicted for the Big Apple, the renowned Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will proceed rain or shine. Balloons will be able to fly because the predicted wind speed is less than 10 mph. If maximum sustained winds reach 23 mph or higher, or if gusts surpass 34 mph, the parade’s cherished balloons will not be able to fly.
Rainfall totals of between 0.50 and 1 inch are forecast for East Coast cities, including Boston, New York, Hartford, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. As far south as Virginia and Maryland, as well as across the I-95 corridor into Maine, road travel will be treacherous.
As the system moves out of the New England region, travel conditions will return to largely normal by Friday morning.
On the other hand, a lake effect snow storm across the Great Lakes and chilly winds in New England will take hold and last until Sunday.
Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo are among the airport hubs to keep an eye on on Thursday.
As people return home from their holiday vacations, Sunday is usually the busiest travel day of Thanksgiving week. The cold will persist throughout large portions of the nation, and there will be lake effect snow in the Northeast and Great Lakes.
It is anticipated that 3 million people would cross TSA on Sunday, approaching the 3.01 million record set the Sunday after this year’s Fourth of July holiday.
Although there might be some issues at the airports in Chicago and Detroit on Sunday, the East and West Coasts appear to be well-suited for aviation and automobile travel.
Throughout the week, temperatures are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees below normal beginning on Thanksgiving Day, bringing harsh cold to parts of the northern Plains and upper Midwest.
New York will witness highs in the 40s and lows that drop to around 28F, Chicago will see highs in the 30s and 20s and lows in the teens, and D.C. will see highs in the 50s and 40s with lows in the 30s and high 20s from Thursday through Sunday. Over the weekend, Minneapolis will experience lows in the single digits.
Authorities are cautioning motorists who leave their cars in airport parking lots to exercise caution because of vehicle thefts as tourists go to the skies to be with loved ones.
According to Atlanta police, nearly three times as many cars were taken from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, the country’s biggest airport, this year—more than 300 total.
We are where we are now because suspects can program key fobs to cars, according to Maj. Kelley Collier, precinct commander at Atlanta Airport. To reduce crime in its 30,000 parking spaces, police are implementing new fences, motorcycle patrols, and cameras this year.
According to authorities, an auto theft ring that targets airports in several states is to blame for the more than 50 vehicles that were taken from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport this year. Last month, the alleged ringleader was taken into custody by DFW Airport Police.
When Katy and her husband returned from a work trip to Columbus International Airport, they discovered their car had gone, she told NBC News.
We were in utter shock that after parking our automobile at an airport and exiting, it had vanished. “We simply thought that kind of setting was safer and more secure,” she said. Later, police discovered it stripped and abandoned.
In order for us to travel and return with your car there, I’m hoping that airport security will be strengthened, she continued.
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