Airports and highways are very busy at this time of year as many travelers make the annual pilgrimage for turkeys and stuffing. The pre-Thanksgiving storm could bring severe thunderstorms, high winds, heavy rain and even snow at higher elevations in some areas, making travel difficult for many people.
A storm system developing in the central United States on Monday morning will bring a “wave of severe weather to the eastern two-thirds of the country over the next few days,” forecasters at the National Weather Service Center said.
Whether it’s winter precipitation or just plain wet weather, storms can impact travel on one of the busiest travel days of the year as millions of people take to the skies to break bread with family and friends. may give.
The Transportation Security Administration expects about 30 million passengers to board planes this Friday through the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, an 11.5 percent increase from last year. In the New York area alone, which could be in the storm’s path, four major airports are expected to handle 3.1 million passengers by next Monday.
Approximately 49.1 million people are expected to drive to their Thanksgiving destinations, an increase of 1.7% from 2022, according to AAA. The busiest days for road travel were expected to be the Wednesday and Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Amtrak says an additional 750,000 people will travel by rail over the next seven days starting Sunday.
Here’s a look at when the weather is expected and where it may affect your travel plans.
Severe storms occur in the south
As this system evolves and moves toward the lower Mississippi River, severe storms will develop from parts of eastern Texas and Louisiana this afternoon, and parts of Mississippi and Alabama by Monday night. There is a risk of intrusion.
During this period, tornadoes, high winds, and hail are possible as thunderstorms develop across the region.
The threat of severe storms will decrease Tuesday, but isolated tornadoes are still possible from Georgia to the Carolinas.
Wind, rain, and winter weather in the Northeast
As the storm moves rapidly toward the northeast in the evening Tuesday, there is a chance for widespread showers and thunderstorms across the South and Midwest.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday issued a warning ahead of Thanksgiving as “extreme winter weather” is expected to impact holiday travel plans across Western New York and the North Country. called out.
While these earlier forecasts may have suggested that the winter weather would be chaotic this week, the effects appear to be less extreme.
It could be cold enough in some areas to bring wet snow to the upper Midwest early Tuesday morning, and reach east toward interior New England by Tuesday night. Cold rain is possible, especially in higher elevations.
Major metropolitan areas along the East Coast will experience mainly rain and wind from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Such weather would only cause minor disruptions to air traffic on a normal day, but combined with increased traffic from holiday travel, major airports in the Northeast experienced severe disruption Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. may cause longer delays.
Most of the unsettled weather will move away from the East Coast by Wednesday afternoon, leaving much of the United States with a mild Thanksgiving. And even if it’s a little late, it will give people something to be thankful for.
Stephen Moity Contributed to the report.
